Sterling-Emily-Kael

A Dear Friend

2011-07-28T13:34:00.000-07:00

For those who know me well, or have known me long, know that I was once in love with another man. Yes, it is true. But we aren't here to talk about him. I was blessed enough to love another through him. His beautiful sister Ginger. I remember the fist time Ginger invited us over to her house. I couldn't of been more then 17. I was slightly intimidated knowing that this was the guy I was datings sister, and those are always hard to please (good thing Sterling doesn't have any :P). I had met Ginger plenty of times before, but I know that Derek had a special place for her. She was different. I quickly understood why. Within seconds of walking into Ginger's home, I felt welcome. And after minutes of sitting down with her and having a conversation, I felt as if I had known her forever. Derek and I spent most Friday evenings with Ginger and her family and soon just Ginger and I would be out getting pedicures, taking her kids to the beach, watching the Bachelor and American Idol and some days, just hanging out. I quickly learned to love Ginger, as I would my very own sister. Wherever we would go, she would correct strangers if they ever called me Ginger's friend. She would always say "oh, this is my sister."

Once Derek and I were no longer dating, I was sure I would lose Ginger as my sister. I personally know what it is like to be 'the sister'. When my brothers stop dating a girl, we rarely see or speak to them after. It isn't necessarily by choice, but our of respect for the loss of love. Well, Ginger wouldn't let that happen. We still went to the beach, lazed around and watched silly tv shows, got pedicures, and spent valuable 'sister' time together.

After being diagnosed with Endometriosis, Ginger was there for me every step of the way. After every surgery I had, Ginger was always one of the first calls I received once coming home from the hospital. She got me through the hardest parts of it all.

One day, I remember receiving a text from Ginge asking if I wanted to get a pedicure 'next week'. I clearly remember this being a Tuesday. I quickly agreed and looked forward to our little date.

That weekend, I drove up with Sterling to visit my Mom in Arrowhead.

Sunday morning I awoke to a phone call from Derek. I thought it strange that Derek would call me at 7:00 in the morning, so I answered inquisitively.

Derek informed me, through slightly monotone, tear filled words that our dear beloved Ginger had passed away that morning. The cause was still unknown, all he told me was that she simply stopped breathing in her sleep.

I couldn't speak. I don't remember saying anything back to him but ' oh Derek' and 'thank you for calling me.'

I slowly entered the room where Sterling was sleeping. I told him what had happened and he just sort of stood there, shocked as I was.

As I went into my Mother's room to give her the news, I lost every bit of 'shock' and hysterically broke down. My Mother cried along with me.

Everyone who knew Ginger was blessed to have had such a special person in their lives.

As time has gone by, and the initial blow of losing a loved one fades, I have wished I could still share my life with her. I wish I could have called her to tell her I was pregnant, get pregnancy advise from her, and now, motherly advise. I am comforted to know that she was too perfect for this world, and was peacefully taken to live with my Heavenly Father. Her time on this earth was brief, a mere 31 years, but she impacted many lives, especially mine.

She was an amazing mother to her 4 children, wife and friend. She never judged or had a bad thing to say about anyone. I am not even exaggerating. She was perfect, and I love her.

She passed away 3 years ago just last week.

Ginger gave me this apron the night before I left for Culinary school. We went to Golden Spoon and spent so much time talking in the car that we killed her battery hehehe. It is one of my fondest memories with her. Unfortunately, since my old computer crashed, I lost the pictures I had together with Ginger.

Every day she shows me an example of how I should be. Her testimony of the gospel has always been such an example, one worth following. I can't wait, dear Ginger, until we will meet again one day. God be with you till we meet again.

Kael's 'problem'

2011-06-02T20:51:00.000-07:00

OK, It is much easier for me to inform you all what is going on with my sweet baby boy here, than it is to update on my status on Facebook.

Back round...

Saturday night, Kael woke up screaming. He was completely inconsolable and I knew, being a true mother, that something wasn't right. He never wakes up at night and if he does, he doesn't cry like this. The screaming went on for about an hour and a half and as I was walking out to catch a taxi to take him to the hospital (we were in New York at the time) he stopped crying and fell asleep. I thought it was odd and decided to keep a good eye on him.

The next day, Kael refused to eat and I was only able to get him to drink a small amount.

Same thing happened the next day, but a fever joined the mix. He was so hot that I couldn't hold him. His skin felt like it was going to burn me. The day the fever set in (Monday) he had another screaming episode. When he has these episodes, there is nothing I can do to help him feel better. The thing that sticks out to me is that he won't let me sit down, as if whatever is going on with him hurts worse when his legs are crunched up.

Tuesday, the fever continued to rage and I started to believe he had an ear infection, so I decided to take him to an urgent care near by. Upon arriving, the urgent care told me that they do not treat children and to go to the hospital. So that's where we went.

When we arrived they checked his ears and they were totally fine, so on went the investigation. They did an ultrasound to see if his intestines were spasming. They weren't. They took X rays to see if he had anything wrong with his lungs. He didn't. They took blood and everything looked fine. So what is causing the fever, screaming, and lack of appetite?!?!?!?! Ugggghhhh!!!! So frustrating!!

There were benefits to the tests though....

During the ultrasound, the tech had mentioned how full Kael's bladder was and how he was going to pee any second. Well.... he didn't. In fact, he never peed on his own. 10 hours after the last time he had peed, he had a straight Catheter inserted. They had to dig around to get his bladder to release everything he was retaining. They said he was a little dehydrated so it was probably crystallizing and blocking the passage.

He was almost instantly a new baby once they relieved his bladder, but it didn't last long. The screaming continued until they decided to give him an enema ( the x ray showed a whole lot of poo up inside of him) he felt better once everything was out of him, but he was still sporting a major fever.

Since we had to catch a plane home, the doctor decided to discharge us, but she was very hesitant and you could just tell in her eyes that she felt as if she was making the wrong decision.

Our flight was canceled so we stayed one more night in New York and our son seemed to be his old self once again. We were so happy and relieved. It felt so good to see him eat and drink again.

And that brings us to today,

Although Kael slept most of the way, the flight was hard. we kept him drinking (in fear of him becoming dehydrated again) and he had peed during our layover in Dallas at about 6:00am Cali time. He screamed in the airplane when he wasn't sleeping all. Well, mostly, he did give us a break from screaming for about 10 minutes. It was rough. When we got home I had received a call from my doctor saying he wanted me to call him as soon as I got his message.

When I called the doctor he asked me some questions and demanded to see Kael as soon as possible. From 6:00am to 3:30pm, Kael had not peed. But, of course, as soon as we see the doctor, Kael's fever had broken and he had peed literally minutes before we arrived. The doc sent us home with a clean bill of health and just figured everything was caused by a virus + dehydration.

BUT

Here's the bad news....

He told us to call him if Kael was still having trouble peeing/pooping and here is why...

He believes the problem could be neurological and that Kael's brain isn't sending messages to the ares in his body that produce waste to release the waste they have built up in them. This could be a serious problem but he didn't go into much detail about it because he figured Kael does not have the problem.

Wellllllllllll.....

Kael hasn't peed since this afternoon at 3:30 and has currently been napping for the last few hours diaperless..... He also hasn't pooped at all today, which is very very abnormal for him. I'm starting to get a little worried as he also had another screaming fit this afternoon since we have been home from the Doc's....

None of us have slept the past 4 days and Kael still has a fever. Not quite sure what to do or what to think. I apologize for the long post but this could potentially be huge and life changing. I need your help, love and prayers. I am also open to advice. Please pray for my sweet little guy, he is so sick.

Some thoughts for tonight.

2011-05-25T21:50:00.000-07:00

My sweet baby boy is an excelent baby, I mean, toddler. Still getting used to calling him that....

He is sweet, he listens, he plays with himself nicely and he willingly gives away kisses.

Recently, to attempt to get things done without having baby (toddler) tug and pull, I have turned to modern technology and let him watch TV. Well, he only watches Thomas the Train-the old ones that George Carlin narrates- and Toy Story. The original. He refuses to watch anything else, with that I feel like I can quote every-single-line from Toy Story word for word. The entire movie. And I have Thomas the Train theme song stuck in my head all day/night long. There isn't much winning for me. Most days, I try to ignore the TV and try to get things done, but sometimes I can't hear or think past the show he is watching. Makes me want to go batty. Happy it works. Bummed that I will be checking myself into a phyciatric ward at an early age.

A Gigantically Enormous, Very Huge Day.

2011-03-13T13:23:00.000-07:00

Saturday was HUGE! We did so much and had so much fun!!

Kael and I started the day off by visiting with one of my best friends, Renae. We went with her out to Moorpark to look at her wedding venue (she is getting married in June 2012). The place is called Walnut Grove and it is gorgeous! The ceremony takes place in the middle of a walnut grove and the reception is located near by. It was so cute and quaint. I loved every little bit of it. I can't wait to see her wedding there. It is going to be amazing.

After spending some much needed Renae time, Kael and I met Sterling to head up to Ventura to meet up with my brother, Collin. He lives in Santa Barbara and I feel like we never see him enough. We joined him for Indian food at the Taj Cafe. YUUUUMMMM!!! I feel like I can never quite eat enough when I go there. And for those of you who stick your nose up to Indian food because you 'don't like curry' you are seriously missing out. Many of the dishes don't have any curry in them at all. They use lots of fresh ingredients and the Taj Cafe offers many Vegan and Vegetarian versions of their dishes, something I think is so neat because the food still comes out incredibly tasty! Collin is a vegetarian so he greatly benefits from the Cafe's offerings, as does my tummy. We spent lunch talking and enjoying company. After lunch we walked around Main street for a minute or so before heading back to our cars and saying our goodbyes. I caught some pictures of my baby boy and my brother before Collin had to head back up to Santa Barbara.

After lunch, Sterling and I decided to take Kael out to the beach. For those of you who don't live in this area, Ventura is a little city located right on the water and where we had lunch was walking distance from the ocean. First, we took the stroller out and walked along the Ventura Pier. I LOVE the Ventura Pier. It is so raw. There are always men fishing off of it and occasionally, if you are lucky, you catch a glimpse of someone reeling in a shark or some other kind of large, unlucky scaly creature. I love to walk to the end and look down to watch the tide lick the beams holding the pier up. When the tide recedes, you can see barnacles, muscles, and starfish clinging to them. We walked a little way with the stroller and quickly decided to take Kael out so he could get a better view of the water. He loved it. That's my Boy! After the pier, we walked to the beach where Kael played with sand for the first time (last time we were at the beach Kael was 3 months old...he didn't really care about the sand) He had a blast!

Kael's first view of the water.

Touching the sand with his feet for the first time

After the beach, we headed home. On the way home, we decided to stop at a little farm stand and pick up strawberries. There is nothing like getting home from a day in the sun and filling yourself up with fresh, crisp strawberries! The farm stand we stopped at is one that we have stopped at many many times before. It is on the way home from Ventura and they always have a large selection of very fresh fruits and veggies. The farm also has a tiny group of farm animals that you can feed and pet. This is the very first time we have ever gone with Kael. Kael went straight over to the goats, who of course, walked right up to him expecting him to feed them. They have an alpaca and chickens and sheep as well, all of which were very gluttonous. At the time, Kael was nursing a very large strawberry, and the animals were going nuts for it. Such a tease hehehe....I snapped up some pictures of Kael at the farm on my phone so they aren't as good as the ones from the rest of the day, but you get the idea....

Goat Mooch!

Chicken Mooch!

When we got home from this very big day, we were all exhausted! But that didn't stop Kael from taking his first REAL steps and walking. All. By. Himself. Kael is now a walking boy! 13 months old and the day has finally come! I still can't believe it. Today, he has been practicing his new moves and falling down all over the place. It reminds me of the first time I went snowboarding (although, after a couple of hours of falling on my bum, I gave up. I had been defeated and I spent the next week sore.) I guess it is time to look into those rubber things you slip over the corners of your coffee table so your kid doesn't give himself a black eye..... We got video of Kael's first steps and I am going to see if I can load it onto here....

Our Orchard

2011-03-06T19:33:00.000-08:00

The orchard in our backyard is equipped with an apricot tree, a plum tree, apple tree, key lime tree, Meyer lemon tree, orange tree, and nice plump, juicy grapes. It was planted when the house was built 4 years ago, and only last year, we saw fruit from the trees!

I have made countless lemon desserts with our tasty lemons! Our tree produces hundreds! In fact, we have to pull some off the trees and throw them into the garden so they don't break the tree down! We have yet to see any fruit from our Orange tree... it always buds and then we find big bug eaten holes in it. This year I have been spraying the leaves with garlic/jalapeno water. Hopefully it will keep the bugs from eating them! We planted a peach and nectarine tree also, but they never made it.

Last week I made a Key lime pie with our little key limes! Last summer we harvested 10 apricots and about 5 plums.... The apples grew nice and big and were quite sweet! A pleasant surprise for a southern California tree.... I remember being a kid, walking home from school and picking our neighbors apples. They were small and very very sour! So it was lovely to get nice big sweet apples from our very on back yard!!

Our apricot, plum and apples trees are just starting to bloom this spring. We are anxiously awaiting the sweet summer fruit! Here are a couple shots I took of the orchard in it's beautiful spring bloom.

A cute little apricot bloom

Our Meyer lemon tree and a bee enjoying the sweet smell

The only budding apricot (so far)

Our plum tree is looking promising this year!

The single bloom on the apple tree

Oranges budding!

The single apricot bud and bloom :)

Snow in Simi Valley CA

2011-02-26T20:41:00.000-08:00

Earlier this afternoon, Kael, my mother in law Heather, and I took a 3 mile hike/walk. It was cold and brisk but not unbearable and I just had a long sleeved (fairly thin) shirt on. The day had been sunny with big beautiful white clouds in the sky. We had heard that it was supposed to rain, but we hadn't seen any of it.

two hours later, Sterling, Kael, and I take a trip to the grocery store to pick up things for dinner. It was crisp and clear when we walked in. As we were leaving, the girl scouts stopped us to ask if we wanted to buy some cookies (we did, of course!). They said that someone had just walked by and told them it was snowing on Erringer ( about two exits away) and it was coming this way. I looked at her and said "it doesn't feel cold enough to snow" well, I ate my words. Right as we got into the car, lo and behold, it started to rain..but this wasn't just rain... it was frozen rain. At this point, it was the size of rock salt, a little more like hail. But as soon as we started to drive home, it turned into snow!

It was so odd to drive down my street, in the snow! When we got home (about a 3 minutes drive) we had big, fluffy flakes! We took lots of pictures and video! I am so excited to have been a part of this rare moment in history! We live in Southern California, about 30-40 miles away from LA. We see snow when we go to the mountains, but never here. I don't believe the street we live on has ever been snowed on (it was built about 4 years ago). Waaay too cool!

Poor little Prius had no idea what to do with it's self!

Snow flakes that stay on your nose and eyelashes

I could't stop laughing! I was like a little kid!

I think we froze Kael. His face stays the same in each shot.

Obviously, he didn't catch my excitement.

*note* I am still in my work out clothes!

Kael turns ONE!!

2011-02-26T12:31:00.000-08:00

Well, it is very very hard for me to believe, but my baby bear is one year old. Where did that time go!?! I know probably every parent says that about their children, but sheesh! It really does just feel like last month that he was born, yet at the same time, it feels like we have always had him here with us. Interesting feeling. Today I sat (and cried) while I watched his 4D ultrasound video. I was 27 weeks and 2 days pregnant. What an amazing moment that was for us. He is such an amazing blessing in our lives. He gives us hundreds of reasons to smile or laugh every day. He is our very special little guy. Happy first birthday Kael. We love you so extremely much!

For Kael's birthday party, we invited friends and family over for a little birthday celebration. I made lunch and Carrot cake for everyone (including a small carrot cake for the birthday boy)... When I was pregnant, Sterling specifically asked me if I could make a carrot cake for Kael's first birthday. Kael wasn't even born yet! None the less, I promised him that I would. It was pretty yummy, I must say. Here are some pictures from the party. It was a WHOLE lotta fun! Thanks to all who made it out!

Cake time!

Our little dumpling boy!

Happy Birthday Kael!

YUM!

I filled our little pool up with rice. The kids LOVED it!

Freezing Water and Security Guards...

2011-01-29T16:51:00.000-08:00

So the other day my mom came down from Arrowhead to grace us with her presence for a whole day and a half. While she is down here she likes to shop given that there aren't any places to do so in Arrowhead ( the place is kinda sad and only has a couple outlet stores and a whole bunch of horrible restaurants.... just don't say that to anyone who lives there... for some reason, after being kept away up there for so many years, they think that all the restaurants they have dragged me to up there are "SOOOOOO good" I can honestly say that I have, not once, had a single thing from a single restaurant up there that I would ever eat again...) She had her heart set on a new pair of jeans. So Sterling, Kael, my Mother and I all went to the Thousand Oaks mall for a little shopping. We parked at the far end which is now the outdoor part. It holds some pretty good stores but my mom really wanted to go to American Eagle. After some serious shopping, my mom went back into AE to get the pants she had tried on a few hours earlier and put on hold. Sterling, Kael and I waited outside patiently for her. We walked Kael's stroller over to an outdoor fountain so he could watch the water, but being that he was a little too low to see it, I took him out and we sat on the edge of the fountain for a better look.

Well, Kael wasn't satisfied with just looking. He quickly scooted himself over to the edge where he could dangle and splash his feet in the freezing cold, completely chlorinated water. Before long, that wasn't enough and he wanted IN that fountain. Now, being the young and whimsical mother I feel like I am, my first instinct was to plop him right in and let him splash and play until he couldn't feel his toes or fingers anymore, but Sterling was right over me so I decided to FORCE Kael to stay seated and be happy with the little bit of feet splashing he was going to get.

Suddenly, from what felt like nowhere, was Sterling's voice saying-"just put him in, you only live once.".......WHAAA?!?! With that, Kael was in the fountain faster than you could say slippery baby. He LOVED that water! He had so much fun and I was just clapping and laughing along with him. Well... a few very short minutes later, that same voice that was so carefree and light quickly said-"ok, get him out. That's enough."

Fine! I said. "Ok, c'mon Kael... this is a public place after all... and daddy says it is time to get out.." I scooped him up and stood him onto the sidewalk next to the fountain. Dripping wet, and completely soaked (he was fully clothed and in a cloth diapie) Kael stood at the edge of the fountain ready for more and clapped the whole time I was peeling his wet clothes off of his little cold body.

As I was laughing about how fun that was and trying to put a diaper on a slippery wet bum, I look up only to see a security guard. Boo! I thought. What kind of loser called security on us? "Yeah, Hi... there are two little kids dunking a baby in the fountain out there.. come quick!" grrr..... He asked us if Kael had fallen in... I said 'No' at the same time Sterling said 'yes, well kinda'.... and he sorta laughed it off but made sure I dressed my little naked baby as quick as possible and hurried us away from the fountain.

As we walked away, I couldn't of been happier with how the afternoon had turned out and I just couldn't wipe the smile I had off of my face. The few minutes he was in that water he had such a blast! And so did I! I danced and clapped and splashed along with him, happy as can be! It probably made the security guard angry that I couldn't wipe the smug smile I had off of my face as we walked away. But oh well. I'm thinking the Andrews' family is ready for some pool time!!

You can see here how we even tried to occupy him with a PB&J (His Fav)

but that water was too darn enticing!

I wish this picture showed Kael's face

It was glowing. Lit up like I had never seen it before!

And the picture also doesn't capture the amount

of splashing that kid was doing...

all mine

2011-01-16T20:07:00.000-08:00

Christmas 2010

2011-01-11T17:16:00.001-08:00

Ok... I know you have probably read blog after blog and post after post about every one's baby's first Christmas. So I'm not going to bore you with that. I will say though that Kael didn't really pay much attention to gifts and didn't quite understand how to open them, and surprisingly didn't play with any of the wrapping paper.... but he did receive some wonderful things from Mommy and Daddy, Santa, and his Grandparents. We all know that Christmas isn't about gifts or Santa, and in our house we really try to take the focus away from those Hallmark items. This year Sterling and I did not get each other anything and we kept our focus on our family and the happiness around us. Went spent Christmas itself with my family in Arrowhead and then headed down on Sunday and spent the afternoon with the Sheppard side (being my cousins and aunts and uncles) at my aunt Lynne's house in Burbank. It was so fabulous to spend time with everyone!

When we finally got home to the Andrews' Sunday night, we had Christmas with Sterling's direct family and Grandma Andrews. We enjoyed every bit of it.

We had a fantastic Christmas with our family this year.

Kael eating a graham cracker on Christmas eve

We were making s'mores on the fire..

I'm such a sucker for S'mores....mmm!

It is tradition in the Sheppard home

to get pajamas on Christmas eve

to wear Christmas night.

Sterling was brought into the tradition this

year and he wears his almost every day

Christmas Morning

Kael in his Christmas comfy cozies

Here we are on Christmas morning in our rare, true,

un-showered forms....

Merry First Christmas Kaeley Boy!!

My little brother Bryce was being

a very good uncle and sharing his Lego's with Kael...

For a minute.....Then he

created a Kael Barrier with his body....

Christmas Dinner... still rare, true, and un-showered.

*Note camouflage pajamas*

Kael with his cool gift from SANTA!

Sunday after Christmas at Aunt Lynne's with the Sheppard Side!

Weekends in Arrowhead

2011-01-06T09:39:00.000-08:00

One of my and Sterling's favorite things to do is visit my family up in Arrowhead. We are able to make it there in about an hour and a half so it always makes for a pretty quick trip. One weekend we were up we got to watch my little sister and brother march in the little parade that the town throws. Lillie is in the high school marching band at Rim of the World High School and plays the sax and Bryce plays drums for his middle school. They both did an awesome job!

Sterling and Kael at the parade

my little family

My little brother and his girlfriend Kara

My momma

My boys...

The worlds smallest horse..

Bryce after he walked in the parade.. He walked

too fast for me to take any pictures

Lillie playing her Sax...next to a kid

who forgot his..

After the parade we went to the tiny little

malt shop that Kara works at. It was really yummy!!

Thanksgiving 2010

2011-01-05T22:10:00.000-08:00

I loved Thanksgiving this year. We had it here at the Andrews house and my family all came down for the festivities. I was Kael's first Thanksgiving so we were super excited for him to taste all of the yummy food we had all laborously been preparing all day, but he had caught a cold a day before so he wasn't much for eating when it all came down to it. We still had lots of fun though and I loved having both of my families together. My wedding ring went missing that morning after taking it off to help cook... it stayed missing for a few days when I found it in Kael's bathroom... I really need to find a better hiding place...

My fabulous Mother in Law

Mr. Terrific Father in Law

I'm not sure why this picture is so light even after I have

edited it...but here we are at dinner.. YUM!

Chris joined us for dinner too!

DINNER!!

Cookies to celebrate Kael's first Thanksgiving!

LOOONG overdue!

2010-09-20T11:11:00.000-07:00

I haven't posted in two months and it is very unlike me! So much has happened since my last post.

Kael is now 7 1/2 months old and quite the mover! He has learned how to scoot himself about the house and a new tooth broke on top yesterday making him three teeth strong! He is the love of my life! I simply can't get enough of that little man!

For those who don't know, I am looking into being a surrogate mother. I feel the need to help a family who is in the same situation as Sterling and I were almost in when the doctors told us that I would have difficulties having a baby. I loved every second of being pregnant. I feel like the gift of having a child is such a spectacular one, I want to give someone that gift.

We moved to a new ward here in Simi instead of going up to Arrowhead. I'm excited to start a new chapter but sad that I will no longer be with my Mother and family since they moved to Utah.

Sterling is steadily moving up in the company and will soon be an ASM. This means come January I won't need to work anymore and can spend all of my time being Momma to my Kaeley Whale.

We are hoping to be moved out of Sterling's parents house by the middle of next year ( cross your fingers!!) We love them and love living with them but we feel the need for independence and raising our family on our own.

I am getting so excited for fall!! I loooove the feeling of the cold and wearing comfy cozies and baking all the time!! Bring on the rain and the warm apple pies!!! I'm very excited to have our very first Christmas with Kael. I can't wait to start our own family traditions with our own children! It's going to be so much fun!

This year Sterling and I are staying here for Thanksgiving and my family is joining (along with Sterling's family who love locally) It's going to be huge!! We are then going up to Utah for Christmas at my Mom's and my uncle Evan's. We are very excited to see their little place up there and spend Christmas with my side of the family.

We are excited for the future and what it hold for our little family.

Kael turns 5 months old!

2010-07-03T16:35:00.001-07:00

Kael is 5 months old today!!! Where did that time go!?!

A whole lot has happened this month.

Kael now eats solid foods twice a day and sleeps through the night every night! He can hold his own bottle, roll over, and sit up on his own!

He is a constant smile box with his little personality shining through more and more every single day. He has a special love for his daddy. He can't seem to keep a straight face when he is around.

We have so much fun with him. Every day is a new adventure for us with this little guy around.

Happy Father's Day!

2010-07-03T16:22:00.000-07:00

This Father's Day was Sterling's very first! We were lucky enough to spend it with Sterling's father, Richard also. Heather made a HUGE yummy breakfast in the morning for everyone and we had a BBQ for dinner in celebration of such wonderful daddies. I have to admit I got a little emotional that day whenever I thought of Richard fathering two such beautiful, wonderful boys. One of which is now fathering one of his own. Sterling is such an amazing Daddy to our Kael. He is a very lucky little guy to have him as a father. I know one day that Hudson will also be a fantastic father to children of his own. Something I honestly am very excited for, and find myself lucky to be around to whiteness one day. Richard and Heather should be very proud of these boys ( I know they are) they will create quite the legacy. Thank you for letting me be part of such a beautiful family.

Splish Splash

2010-06-16T20:13:00.001-07:00

While cleaning out my Mother's garage we ran across an old tin bucket. Me, being the photo opportunist had to grab some pictures of Kael in it! He had a difficult time staying up since he cannot yet sit up on his own but he had fun none the less. Enjoy!

Kael Turns Four Months Old!

2010-06-16T18:03:00.000-07:00

I am a tad bit late posting Kael's four month picture but here he is at four months old!

He has yet to roll over but he is getting extremely close! Kael is all smiles and laughs almost all the time. He spends much of his time practicing putting anything reachable in his mouth and playfully screaming ( he gets very loud and excited!)

He now weighs 16 pounds and is 25 inches long!

Kael started eating "solid" food this month.. Mostly rice cereal and bananas.

He has gotten much better with his neck and he is able to lift his head to look straight forward when lying on his stomach now (something he was having quite a difficult time doing a month ago.)

He has become very inquisitive and can sit and play (and talk) with his "friends" (his toys) for quite a while.

We are constantly entertained and fully enjoy every second with our precious tiny man! We love you Baby Kael.

What's in a name?

2010-06-08T21:29:00.000-07:00

Recently while going through some various online videos I came across this cute little video about naming your child's body parts. Being something I have frequently struggled with ( although Kael won't be talking for some time...) I decided to check it out. I found it too cute to not share.

Enjoy!

How to Name Body Parts with Children

Double Take

2010-05-17T20:03:00.000-07:00

A couple months ago Sterling's brother, Hudson came home with a new outfit for Kael. He said that he just had to get it because he knew Sterling had something similar, not to mention it is dang adorable! Today was very wet and cold so I made sure to get Kael in it one last time before summer time hit. So Thank you Uncle Hudson for contributing to Kael's cuteness. It is greatly appreciated.

Kael in real life

2010-05-15T13:38:00.000-07:00

Life with Kael is nothing short of spectacular. He makes us laugh everyday and we just can't seem to get enough out of him. He is a sweet very easy going baby and is a huge mamma's boy. He is only 3 1/2 months old but I have more pictures than I know what to do with. I have already filled 3 albums full. Pretty soon I am going to be up to my eye balls in albums! I decided to share some of my recent favorites, he is just far too cute to not share.

His legs are so strong, much stronger than the rest of his body.

He is seems to not even realize that his arms even exist most of the time.

Enjoying our back yard view with his Grandad

All ready to get in the bath!!

Woody Harralson?!

He doesn't wear beenies much in his old age

but when he does he rocks them!

My little man.

Where did my genes go?

Refuses to sleep any other way but on his tummy.

Oh, and cross-legged.

Something old...

2010-05-12T13:44:00.000-07:00

23 years ago, my mother discovered she was pregnant. Without an ultrasound, my mother knew she was pregnant with a girl, call it motherly instinct. At the time she worked at a bridal shop that my grandmother owned and had hundreds of beautiful dresses at her fingertips. She decided to heirloom one of her favorites for her unborn daughter to one day get married in. That baby was born a girl and my mother named her Emily. As the years went by and Emily became aware of her dress she begged and begged her mother to see it, but she told her that one day will be the right time to take it out of its special box. So years went by and finally, one weekend came along when it was the right time, that weekend was last weekend. Emily finally got to see the special dress and try it on!

Happy 19th Birthday Jake!

2010-05-12T13:10:00.000-07:00

HAPPY 19th BIRTHDAY JAKE!

Saturday was my little brother, Jake's birthday! Sterling, Kael, and I went up to Arrowhead to celebrate and spend Sunday with my Mom for Mother's Day. We just relaxed throughout the day then headed down the hill to guitar center to find Jake a new guitar and to dinner at a little sushi place in Redlands that night. I can't believe Jake is 19! It feels like just yesterday that we were playing together as children and now, I have a child of my own. Jake and I were always best friends but found ourselves frequently in the grasp of sibling rivalry. Our relationship still sits similarly to how it always has been, except I can't beat him up anymore....We love you Jake! Happy Birthday!

My Brothers:

Bryce, Collin, and Jake

Sushi Time!!!

My baby and Mommy

Jake and his girlfriend Kara

A Better Beach Day

2010-05-11T10:41:00.001-07:00

Last week we all headed up to Carpenteria to spend a day in the sun. Sterling, my brother Collin, and I went to lunch while Kael stayed on the beach with my Mom, my little brother and sister Lillie and Bryce, and my aunt and cousin Cindy and Noelle. We had a lovely lunch and spent about an hour at the beach afterward with my family. The day was BEAUTIFUL!! The weather recently has just been so nice I dont want it to end!! I'm ready for beach season to start! This day definantly kicked off the summer for us. So relaxing!! It was a perfect day.

Kael touches sand for the very first time!!

The Girls:

My Aunt Cindy, My Mommy, My sister Lillie, and my cousin Noelle

Kael Turns Three Months!

2010-05-01T16:48:00.000-07:00

Happy Three Month Kaeley Whale!!

This month Kael became a new man and started holding his own bottle! He talks and talks all the time and

always seems to be smiling! He has started to let us put him down for longer periods of time ( so nice when I want to actually get stuff done!!) and has a regular nap schedule! He is becoming quite the fatty and drinks up to 6 oz at a time! He pacifier is his very best friend and our lives would be so difficult without it!! If the bink isn't in his mouth, his fist or fingers are. He is quite the sucky baby! He is on the verge of laughing, usually when one starts it scares him and he starts crying... we will work on that one.

On another note...

Kael has started to teethe! Drool Drool Drool!! We are starting to see the beginnings of little tooth buds just dying to poke through! I was three months old when I got my first tooth so there is a good chance he will

take after Mommy!

Kael has begun noticing toys and has started to bring them up to his mouth (when he can find it..) although when on his tummy, his arms and neck are still very weak and his head can

hardly come up off of the floor. So we are working on the tummy time as much as possible!

God's greatest gift

2010-04-24T22:53:00.000-07:00

I feel so amazingly blessed to have been able to have given birth to such a beautiful baby.

One year ago...

I was up to my ears in pain from a condition called Endometriosis. A condition where the tissue that lines your uterus grows outside of your onto other parts of your body, in my case, my ovaries and my abdomen wall. The tissue acts like your uterus does and swells and bleeds while menstruating, causing extreme pain ( I had an extreme case in which I was in pain all month long, not only when I was menstruating). Some women have endo and never know it because they are symptom free, only to discover it while trying to conceive. Endometriosis causes infertility, which brings me to my miracle. After 3 corrective surgeries in 2 years, my doctor had told me that I would most likely need to see an infertility specialist in order to concive. The beauty of getting pregnant ironically enough is that it subsides the growth of the endo for about 2 years. There is no cure for the condition and no one knows what causes it. My doctor had also given me to the age of 22 before my body would be unable to conceive all together (I have been to many specialists and recommended doctors around the state and they said the same thing)

Being 21 and in more pain than I could handle I turned to pregnancy in March of 2009. After only 2 months of trying, the Lord blessed me with the beginning of a tiny life. My doctor was extremely shocked!

Flash forward 1 year later...

I hold in my arms the most amazingly beautiful blessing I could possibly conceive. I was meant to be a Mother and this perfect person was meant to be in my life. He is so extremely beautiful and I sit in awe daily while I watch him grow and learn. I sit here and try to express how I feel about motherhood and I simply can't. How can I thank the Lord for something of this magnitude? There will never be enough thank yous. There will never be enough awe-filled moments. I can't even describe how spectacular life is with such a beautiful baby, only parents can relate, there is nothing like it. I can't ask more of a man than what I have in Sterling, he is such an amazing father. Such a wonderful person. My perfect fit. Kael loves his Daddy so much and is always so happy to see him.

Kael: once just a group of cells. One day one started to pulse while others followed, creating a beating unit, his heart. That heart pumped perfect blood and created a perfect tiny person. Being pregnant with him was blissful and I look back and get jealous of myself for having such a beautiful pregnancy and want to do it all over again, labor and all! Now almost 3 months old he creates a intoxicating presence. A sweet, beautiful demeanor that keeps you coming back for more and never leaving. He is amazing, Life is amazing, and women are amazing for creating and carrying God's greats gift.

Tummy Time

2010-04-23T10:36:00.000-07:00

We have been trying to incorporate more tummy time into Kael's day to try and get his neck and arms stronger. Yesterday we even played with some toys! After all, Kael is only 1 week away from being 3 months old, he's a big boy now!

Kael's first beach trip

2010-04-23T10:07:00.000-07:00

Ok, Ok... It was freezing cold, windy, and the sun was nowhere in sight, but we had a good time! Kael slept the entire time, but Sterling and my brother Bryce had fun on the rocks looking for crabs and found a sea lion caught up on the rocks. Turns out that all over the southern California coast baby sea lions are turning up stranded, usually injured. We had no idea at the time! Hundreds of baby sea lions have been rescued in the past 2 months. They have no idea what is causing these little guys to become injured, weak, and stranded. So sad!!

We invested in one of those little half tents to sit in with Kael at the beach and it turned out to be our saviour that day!! It kept the wind from blowing us away! Our friends Isaac and Rachel came out to the beach with us ( they live in Ventura) too! We had a great time (although we were freezing!) I can't wait to take Kael back when it is warm and sunny! Growing up spending my summers at the beach, I plan on taking him (and my other children when they come!) all the time!

Not only did Kael sleep the whole time,

He slept fist punching the air with both hands!

It must have been a beach thing because he

hasn't ever done it before, or since!

Our snugly warm half tent!

The boys walking back from crab chasing.

Such an epic picture!

The boys on the rocks.

The pelicans were crazy! they were swarming and diving right

next to the jetty! There must have been a swarm of fish right there!

I kept looking for the dolphins to show up, but I

had no such luck :(

Poke Poke

2010-04-05T22:18:00.000-07:00

Today Kael got his very first set of vaccines. It wasn't easy for me. He didn't seem to mind the initial poke but once she pushed the medicine in it was all blood curdling screams from then on out ( although his screams were louder yesterday when I accidentally got soap in his eye). He was given two injections on either leg and one drinkable vaccine. It's so sad that we ended the doctor appointment on such a bad note because he was so happy when the doctor was in the room. All smiles and coos for him! The medicine has made him fussy and generally not feeling well today.

He spent a lot of the day sleeping and the rest softly crying, as if to tell me that he just doesn't feel all that great. Poor little man. I keep telling myself that all this will make him stronger and is better in the long run and this momentary yuckiness is just a little blip of time in the grand scheme of things. After his shots I brought him down to the car and fed him. He fell right to sleep when he was all done and I was glad to have been able to soothe my baby after such a traumatic little experience.

Today Kael recieved these vaccines;

(these are the standard two month vaccines given in the US)

DTaP: Diphtheria ( an upper respiratory infection), Tetnus, and Acellular Pertussis ( whooping cough)

Hib: Haemophilus influenzae type b vaccine- can cause meningitis, pneumonia, severe swelling of the throat, infections of the blood, joints, and covering of the heart.

IPV: Inactivated Poliovirus Vaccine

PCV: Pneumococcal Conjugate Vaccine- A vaccine to prevent one type of bacterial meningitis

Rota: Rotavirus Vaccine- A vaccine given to prevent stomach flu in infants and toddlers

Kael weighs 13.5 pounds and is 23 inches long. The doc said he is looking great and we will be back in a month!

Happy Easter!

2010-04-05T17:39:00.000-07:00

HAPPY EASTER!

Sunday was Kael's very first easter and we spent it at my Mother's in Lake Arrowhead!

We had such an awesome time with my family. It is always so nice to see them and spend time up there. My brother Collin met us at our house (he lives in Santa Barbara) and we all drove up together. We spent the entire day with the family and headed home that night. The weather was gorgeous, the food was yummy, and the company was fantastic!

My Little Family:

My Mom and Kael

My brothers, Jacob, Collin, and Bryce

My Dad and Sister, Lillie (with Smidgin)

Me and Sterling

Daddy and Kael

Kael's Easter Outfit

I just can't help myself..

Mommy and Kael

Little Family

I made two fruit tarts to enjoy with my family

We ate both of them!!

Kael turns Two Months!

2010-04-05T17:25:00.000-07:00

Happy Two Month Kaeley boy!!

On Saturday Kael was officially two months old! This month he has really blossomed! He is such a fun smiley boy and he is happy more often than not. His sleeping schedual has finally begun to get easier for Sterling and I and he only wakes a few times a night. Our biggest problem at night time is diapers, we can't seem to keep Kael's clothes dry, he pees right through them! Kael wont sleep on his back so he sleeps on his tummy and goes through at least 3 outfits a night. He has recently started to "talk" to us. It is non stop entertainment for us to listen to his little oo's and ahh's. It is such an extreme joy to have such a wonderful little guy around!

My Chelsea Chels

2010-03-25T15:04:00.000-07:00

My bestest friend in the whole wide world came out from St. George UT to visit a few weekends ago. I was so excited to see her! It has been about a year and a half since I saw her last and it was WAAAY too long!! I have known her since middle school and she has always been a very special person in my life and that of my family's as well. It was so sad to see her leave but we had such a wonderful time catching up! She is like a big sister to me and we get into trouble together just like sisters do! I can't wait to see her again! I love you Chels!! I'm a lucky girl to have a friend like you.

This was the first time Chelsea me Kael and he was instantly happy when she held him. She has the touch and Kael experienced love at first sight for the first time in his life. He was sad to see her go too...

Kael -the Business man

2010-03-19T18:02:00.000-07:00

I have recently been going through Kael's drawers to weed out any articles that aren't fitting him any more and pulling new items from boxes that didn't fit him until recently. I tossed tons of tiny clothes into storage! But to replace those tiny ones were plenty of new clothes that finally fit. Among the new ones was this tiny dress shirt that we couldn't help but slip on him! We almost died on cute overload! Such a little man!

This is my all time FAVORITE Kael face!

He does it all the time and it cracks me up every time!

2 Years

2010-03-19T17:54:00.001-07:00

Wednesday was Sterling and my 2nd anniversary! I feel like it has been so much longer than two years!! We are so amazingly happy together and we are so excited to be a little family.

I sent sterling on a hunt around the city through a series of clues hidden at various significant locations to our relationship. The hunt took us on a hike and to dinner at sushi and then back to our house for a romantic dessert!! While we were on our hunt Heather and Richard set the table for two so beautifully for me to surprise Sterling with! It was amazing! We had a fabulous anniversary.

Clue number 3!

our candle lit dessert

A heart shaped cactus! How fitting.

Kael Turns One Month!

2010-03-11T22:43:00.001-08:00

Happy One Month Kael!!

I Can't believe it has already been a month.. and yet, it feels like we have had him so much longer! In this month he has grown leaps and bounds!! He only wakes about two times a night and he looooves the bath! He has started to smile at us and recognizes our faces. We are starting to notice more and more baby blubber adding onto his tiny legs and arms and he no longer fits in any of his newborn clothes! Where did the time go?! We finally no longer have fear of the crib so little Kael sleeps in his own bed now! It took me a while but I have adapted to him and have begun a daily rythm. He is such an easy going baby! It makes this whole experience so much easier to enjoy every second of!! We just can't seem to get enough of this little man!

Kael's Blessing

2010-03-01T16:50:00.001-08:00

Yesterday was Kael's baby blessing and we were so lucky to have so much of my family come out to watch and listen!! The blessing was so sweet and perfect. Kael is a very blessed little guy. It couldn't have been a more joyous event! Thank you to all who came out!

Almost the entire Phillips side came out for Kael's blessing. It was the first time this many of us have been together in years!

Our little family

My Mother, Sterling and my siblings, Collin, Jake, Lillie, and Bryce

Lillie is Kael's only aunt!

My kid sister Lillie. She is the best auntie ever!

The man of the hour

My red headed little man

My two wonderful boys

The blessers

My Mother's brother, Evan and my cousin Joe

Evan came all the way from Utah and Joe came from New York!!

Daily Life with Kael

2010-03-01T15:47:00.001-08:00

Since Kael has been here it has been nearly impossible to blog but here I am!! Kael is such an amazing blessing! I can't believe that he has only been with us fro three weeks! I can hardly remember life without him!!

Week 1

Kael's first week was a rough one. He developed a horrible diaper rash on the same day he was circumcised so he spent most of his first few days home screaming. Poor little man. Thankfully he took right to breast feeding and I was able to soothe and calm him by doing so. He was a little jaundice so we had our first pediatric appointment to make sure it was getting better. The doctor said that the jaundice was very mild and all was well. At the end of his first week we were blessed to have Sterling's aunts over for a Saturday morning breakfast to meet our little guy!!

He spent most of his week in the "frog" position airing out his

poor rash and keeping his diaper away from his sore little

wee-wee

We invested in a breast pump so Sterling has

been able to experience the joy of feeding him.

Daddy son bonding.

Our first family picture on Kael's 1 Week Birthday!

Sterling's Aunt's, Uncle, and Parents

Week 2

Week two also proved itself to be a bit rough. Sterling had come down with a bit of a cold and of course our poor little guy caught it. It was just a little sore throat and stuffy nose, no big deal for Sterling, but for a new born baby it is a HUGE deal! He made his way through it like a champ but still has a bit of congestion because of it. Although fighting a cold his second week was a good one. Kael and I headed up to my mother's in Lake Arrowhead for the week. It was so nice to spend the time with my mother and family. She was so extremely helpful to me! I actually got to take naps!! It's never fun being so far away from those you love but at least we still see each other often! While Staying in Arrowhead we were also able to visit my Grandma who live only about 20 minutes away from my mother's house. This was the first time my Grandma would be seeing her great-grandson!! We were very excited!

I think he looks SOO much like Sterling's side in the picture!!

Happy snoozing boy

Cannon Ball!!

This was the very end of a smile. I have had some difficulty

catching it on camera!

All ready for the Arrowhead snow!!

Four Generations.

My grandmother, my mother, me, and my baby.

Kael with his Great-Grandma!

Week 3

This was a great week! Kael finally got over his little cold and has been sleeping through most of the night!! He is such a sweet boy! We all just love having such a pure being around us all the time! Kael and I went on our very first outing ALONE without Sterling this week!! It felt so good to take the car and just be with my mini man. Just me and him. We went to the doctor again and he weighed in at 9lbs 7oz!! In two weeks he gained 1lb and 5oz making his weight double the "expected healthy" weight! He's a good eater!!

Kael was helping Mommy with the laundry

He loves his bouncy seat!!

Kael Charles Andrews

2010-02-12T23:11:00.000-08:00

WELCOME TO THE WORLD!

Beautiful Beautiful Beautiful, Beautiful Boy

KAEL CHARLES ANDREWS

Born February 6th, 2010

10:28am

8 pounds 2 ounces

20 1/2 inches

The Name:

KAEL- This has been a name that I have always loved and wanted to name a son of mine. I got lucky and Sterling liked it as well. It is pronounced like Kale.

CHARLES- This is a huge name in Sterling's family. Sterling's middle name is Charles along with his father and the name swarms his mother's side as well. If Kael had been a girl, his name would have been Charlie.

A not so little guy. 8 pounds 2 ounces!

The very first time I got to hold my beautiful baby in my arms

Happiness

Two Besties

Shannon and Renae

My big brother Collin is a very proud Uncle

My little brother Jake and my sweet boy

My parents

We both were laying this way and we didn't realize it until we saw the picture!

Bundle of Joy

We have pictures of Sterling on the day he was born lying with

his arms above his head just like this!

Sweet Baby

A Labor Story

2010-02-11T19:28:00.000-08:00

We arrived at the hospital at about 5:00pm February 5th, 2010.

We walked into the Labor and Delivery wing and explained that my water had broken. Before I knew it, once again I was in a hospital gown and strapped into a fetal monitor. A nurse came in to check to see how far dilated I was and I was still at 1 cm.. ( am I ever going to dilate?!?) Contractions had hardly started as I lay into the bed and nothing was painful (yet)...

She called the on call doctor and received the order to admit me to the hospital. Yay! Once again, we were admitted. That much closer to our baby!

Not too long after being admitted to the hospital contractions begin to get painful, and family starts to arrive.

The nurse decided it would be helpful for me to dilate quicker and the baby's head to further engage if I were to walk for an hour. So once again... we walked. This time was quite different than before. Painful contractions stopped me in my tracks every 2 minutes and the pain continued to get stronger and stronger. By the end of the hour I felt like there was no relief and realized that there is no turning back from the pain I was quickly tumbling into.

Walking through the hospital while enduring contractions.

I lie back into my bed and the nurse checks me again. I'm only about a 2 but I have started to progress! The nurse suggests a shower to help with the painful contractions. She says that the hot water can help relax my muscles and possibly ease the contractions. So I agree to test the theory and hop into the shower. I only lasted in the shower about 5 contractions and I was out. I couldn't stand through them anymore. Once back in my bed the nurse set up my IV and administered some pain medicine. I would have liked to have done things without the pain medicine but I was past my point of pain tolerance. I should have just skipped the pain medicine because it did nothing!! After about another hour of ever growing painful contractions the nurse came in with the anesthesia cart and told me she had called the anesthesiologist. He arrived at the hospital within 15 minutes and administered an epidural. OH MY GOODNESS!! My life had changed forever!! To be free of that pain was so incredibly amazing!! I have some serious admiration for women who go all natural! It was so great to hear the nurse say " You are having a really strong contraction right now! Do you feel anything?" and to acknowledge her with.." really?? I feel nothing!!" Finally, relief.

After the epidural was administered I decided that we all could use some sleep. Heather and Richard had come to the hospital along with my mother. Heather and Richard went home to get some sleep while my mother made herself a bed on the couch and Sterling made himself one on the floor ( the nurse gave him a sleeping pad...sooo awesome that they had those there!!) We all were in and out of sleep for hours. The labor was still taking it's toll on my body although I couldn't feel it and I was throwing up quite often because of it. No one told me that it is common to throw up during labor before, but my nurse said it was very very common.

Trying hard not to throw up, but loosing the battle...

After a long night of being in and out of sleep the nurse came in at about 7am to check my progress. I was about 7 cm!!!! We were all so excited!! We were getting so close! About an hour and a half later I was at an 8. From the time I hit an 8 the room became a whirl wind of nurses and I feel like it all blurred together. I was actually going to be able to deliver naturally and it would be soon!! The doctor arrived at the hospital at around 9am and checked me again. I was basically ready to go by that point. They wanted me to have a few more contractions and then it was time to push!!

Once it was time Sterling and I braced ourselves. Our last moments together before our miracle is born

In between contractions and pushing.

10am. The nurse comes in and says " it's time!!" From that point on I was making every effort possible to push that little guy out. From the time I had started pushing to the time my baby boy was born was about half an hour.... I had absolutely no tearing and no episitomy was necessary! The nurses were all amazed at how calm and relaxing my delivery was ( yeah, easy for them to say!!) earlier that night a medical student had come in to ask if she could observe in the birth, and how can I say no to someone furthering their education!? So she sat in on the delivery and she said that she had never seen anything like it before. My little guy and I were just way too in sync I guess! Everything was perfect and my delivery was everything I had hoped it would be.

My beautiful baby boy was born. We did it!!

February 5th, 2010

2010-02-11T19:05:00.000-08:00

This is the very last day of my pregnancy.

I woke up and had breakfast, did a little blogging, and hopped into the shower around noon.

As I was blow drying my hair, I felt a warm gush of fluid.

I stopped the blow dryer and stood there, slightly shocked at what had just happened. "Did my water just break?" Before the question could finish itself in my head another gush of fluid startles me. "Yup, my water just broke." I stood there, still is shock and not quite sure what to do. I felt slightly panicked, what do I do first? I decided to finish the simple act of blowing my hair dry before going into total "we need to go the the hospital" mode. I restarted the blow dryer only to hear Sterling behind me asking me what I would like for lunch. Still in a bit of shock I just sort of starred at him. "What's the matter?" He asked. "Ummmm, I'm pretty sure my water just broke.." I found myself hardly able to mutter the words. Like my brain was still in disbelief.. I didn't want this to be another false alarm. It wasn't, and I knew it wasn't but I still had tiny bits of doubt.

We start gathering our items to prepare for our trip to the hospital. Before I knew it, all of our various cameras and phones were charged, the bags were packed and we decided to 'just wait' for contractions to start. Fluid continued to gush causing me to go through nearly a box of maxi pads and at least 3 pairs of pants.

Deciding that I had quite enough of changing my pants (and rapidly running out of pants to change into..) we decided to head to the hospital. We arrived at the hospital at around 5:00pm....

Read on above...

Puzzles and Baking...

2010-02-05T10:49:00.000-08:00

While we patiently await the arrival of this baby.. (whom of which is 1 day shy of being a week over due) I have made every attempt to occupy my actions and thoughts outside of the realm of being late. Thus we have things flying out of the kitchen left and right and there is absolutely no way my bathroom could get any cleaner than it is ( I stopped counting, but I believe I have scrubbed it down at least 4 times this week...)

Now, I LOOOVVVEEE to bake. I love making all kinds of food but my heart lies with my measuring spoons and Kitchen Aid. I attended Culinary School and after spending a few months in the Culinary program I realized that my true love was baking and switched to Baking and Pastry soon after. I am always looking for new ideas in the kitchen and have even developed my own all natural energy bar.. but that's another story for another day. Since I love to bake so much I thought... what better way to occupy my time then to bake? Being so big and heavy it has been quite difficult to stand in the kitchen for an extended period of time to accomplish the baking I desire but yesterday I managed to keep up the strength and popped out a few recipes I have been meaning to try.

First one was a basic Blueberry Oat Bar. Nothing fancy or special but it sounded good to me at the time so why not?! It turned out to be quite delicious and made for a wonderful breakfast the next morning.

The next item I made was a Cranberry Orange Bread with a grapefruit glaze. Yummm... this one totally hit the spot and would be so easy to freeze and save for later of give as a gift. SUPER moist and yummy! Highly recommended!

Another thing I have always loved to do and have always had some weirdly amazing talent at is puzzles. I could sit and do them for hours and I am known to finish a 1000 piece one in one day. So recently my Dad decided to challenge me a little more and bought me a 2000 piece one. I started it this week and it is HUGE!! Our tables can hardly fit the monster of a jigsaw but I am enjoying the challenge and it has done a wonderful job of keeping my brain busy!!

Hopefully this baby will be here very soon!! But if he isn't, I have no shortage of baking ideas!! My poor family is going to gain 20 lbs in these few weeks I could be over due.

Post due date Dr. Appointment

2010-02-01T16:02:00.000-08:00

Today I had what will hopefully be my last doctor appointment for this pregnancy ( I know I say that every time but this time I am serious!)

My doctor walks in and says " Still pregnant huh? Well why don't we try and move things along"

She explains to me the simple procedure of "stripping my membranes." For those who want details, read on....

She will simply go in and seperate my uterus from my amniotic sac to sort of push things along. Now this isn't breaking my water or inducing me, it is simply just a nudge in the right direction. She said that if my body is ready to go into labor than this will get it going hopefully in the next 24 hours. This simple procedure was probably one of the most painful things I have ever experienced. I am still in a good deal of pain from the whole ordeal! She left the room saying "Now be a good girl and go into labor!!" So that's what I'm going to try and do!

The goal is for me to have this guy in the next 24 hours so she can deliver me. If I don't than she will no longer be the doctor on call and I will have some other doctor in there. Not very cool since my doctor has spent all this time with me and my pregnancy.

On with some other doctor visit things...

My Uterus is at 40 cm ( surprise surprise) and I weigh in at 159 lbs. I'm still pregnant and still gaining weight... Oh! and STILL 1 cm dilated!!

Baby's heart sounds fantastic as always and hopefully this membrane stripping will give him the A-OK to come out!!

Cross your fingers!!!

Due Date Passed...

2010-02-01T12:37:00.000-08:00

Yesterday was my due date and while I knew he wouldn't come on that exact day, I figured he would be here by now.

Last night I slept a total of 1 hour. Sterling turned to me in the morning and said " if you kept me up all night last night, I can't even imagine how bad your night was"

My night was filled with meaningless contractions (by meaningless I mean painless and the type that get you no where but uncomfortable.) The baby is doing a new trick ( trick seems to be the only word I can think of) he kicks me in a location in my lower back that instantly sends me to the floor. The pain is so bad and I can't walk, sit, lay, stand, jump, or run to avoid it, or alleviate it in any way. So on top of these tight contractions last night, my baby played the violin with my spinal cord and kept me gasping for air in pain all night long.

Please Dr. Lanter, INDUCE ME ALREADY!!!

On the bright side.... Sterling and I got some amazing video ( with our brand new amazing video camera Sterling's parents bought us) of the baby playing kickball with my uterus! I'm pretty sure by his movements and my size and discomfort that we have both had enough of all this pregnancy business. We would like to meet each other face to face and all this skin and muscle seems to be in our way!

We did it. My Little Guy and I made it to full term and then all the way to our due date. He is such a strong baby. I can't wait to see his precious little face and look into those sweet blinking eyes. A completely pure being. A fresh new start for both of us.

39 Weeks!!

2010-01-27T20:29:00.000-08:00

This is technically my last week of pregnancy and although I am soooo ready to meet my mexi melt I am sad that it is almost over.

Looking back on my pregnancy I have only happy memories. I really love being pregnant. This is the only time that I will ever have a connection like this with my son ever again. We have had a wonderful 9 months together. He has been my little best friend in a bundle that I carry around with me all the time! I know that after he is born he will still be with me most, if not all of the time but once he is born I am going to have to share him!! He is going to be so spoiled with this family that he is going to be born into. Between my family and the Andrews I think his little cheeks are going to be raw from kisses, but then again, who can have too many of those?!

The same things hold this week as last week except I am expecting to go into labor at any second!! I think I have to stop wanting it so badly and then maybe he will come.

I have been very tired this week and when I stand for an extended period of time my legs begin to go numb. Sterling has always said that I have chicken legs ( thanks Phillips side!!) and I think they are having trouble withstanding the extra 30 pounds added to them!!

Every morning we wake up Sterling turns to me and says "are you going to go into labor today?!" We always have very wishful thinking but I feel like we always know that No is the answer. I don't think it is supposed to be like that when you are days from your due date, but for some reason it just feels like it will never ACTUALLY happen.

We can't wait to see our little stinker box!! Just come out already!!!

On the bright side, if he doesn't come out by next week we will be getting induced. Maybe that's enough to scare him out because the thought of being induced to me is like thinking about taking epicac. You know that when you take epicac you are going to get sick and throw up, multiple times, I know when I get induced pain will shortly follow. But then again so will a baby, so being induced is much better than epicac... but you get the idea....

You Reap what you Sow

2010-01-27T20:20:00.000-08:00

Today Sterling and I went to Low's and bought wild flower seeds ( among many other seeds to start our herb garden!! ) to plant behind the house on the hill so we can have them beautifully blooming during the spring time.

Since I am far too pregnant to hop over our fence Sterling and Heather took on the job of spreading the seeds across the hillside behind our house. I am so excited to see what comes of them!! The hillside is so green already from all the rain that it would just be breathtaking to get some color up there! Now hopefully all the birds don't think we were spreading a free snack across the hill for them!!

38 Weeks!

2010-01-27T19:59:00.000-08:00

38 Weeks down! 2 to go!!

This week has been filled with very anxious waiting!!

But like they always say... the best things in life are worth waiting for!

The past few weeks lying down for an extended period of time causes a good deal of pain in between my legs, and that makes for super painful night time trips to the bathroom!! I'm sure it is quite a sight to witness me walk (more like bounce) across the room due to the difficulty walking from the pain.

Turning over is a whole other story. I have gained 30 pounds and they are all quite literally in my belly, so when I make the move to turn in bed I have to fully commit! I better be absolutely positive that is the side I want to be on because I wont be moving anytime soon after!

I drink more water in one day than I think a fish swallows in his life time... and this isn't just your short lived goldfish you won at the fair. I'm talking whale shark status here. I am ALWAYS thirsty and can never get enough to drink. Ever. And while we are on the topic of water... I love/crave ice. There is something about the flavor ( I know what you are thinking, Ice is water, it has no flavor but just hear me out...) of the ice from our freezer ( now I know what you are thinking again... ewww... something that tastes like the freezer is NEVER a good thing) that is so amazing. Now for all you " I love the smell of wet cement" or "Newly cut grass" or "smell of the first rain" or "wet dirt" people out there you know what I mean when I say there is just something about things that smell/taste earthy that make you want more!! The ice from our freezer has that earthy flavor that I just can't seem to get enough of. As I talk about it now my mouth craves the taste. As a child I would get out of our pool and lay straight on the cement just to get it wet so I could sit there and smell until it until I felt like my brain was going to dry out from breathing through my nose too much. I'm afraid this craving will not fade with pregnancy. I love the taste of our ice ( and don't worry, I'm not anemic. I have been tested)

39 Week Doctor Appointment

2010-01-25T16:38:00.001-08:00

This morning we went to my 39 week doctor appointment... 2 weeks after I went into early labor.

I am still only 1 cm dilated and 70% effaced. Good news is that I am dilated and thinning, but the bad news is I have been that way for two weeks. Hopefully this little man will make his move soon!! The doctor said that they will induce labor if I go a week over, there is no medical benefit of him staying in any longer. So if he doesn't come this week .. or next week, then we will definitely have him the week after, if not late next week.

I weigh 157lbs. Makes my total weight gain exactly 30lbs. I hear that many women start to loose weight in their latter weeks but not me!! Mini man just keeps on putting on the pounds!! We are looking at quite the little porker coming to greet us within these next few weeks!

We were hoping to have him by Superbowl Sunday because the Andrews family always has a little Superbowl party with close friends and we were hoping to show him off there, but the way things are looking we might be getting him around that day (by induction.)

We are so anxious and we can honestly taste it!! He is so close!!

My uterus continues to grow, and is predictably 39 cm.

My happy little baby has a very happy little heartbeat as always and he looks and sounds very healthy!

We have a doctor appointment next Monday ( a day after my due date) and hopefully we wont make it to that one!! Or at least we hope it will be our last one!!

Come soon baby boy, we are DYING to meet you!!!!

Happy 26th Birthday Collin!

2010-01-22T12:47:00.000-08:00

Today is my big brother, Collin's Birthday.

I am 4 years younger than my brother, and although we are best friends now, we weren't always. Collin and I used to bump heads when we were younger and it wasn't until I was about 12 years old that I realized that he would always be someone I could lean on for support and love. Around that time is when we became the best of friends. We still to this day have one of the best brother -sister relationships I know. When I need someone to talk to, I call him. If I need a day to just get away, I arrange a lunch date. Collin currently goes to UCSB, and while only in Santa Barbara, I still don't see him as much as I would like to.

I am lucky to have such a wonderful brother and friend in my life. Happy Birthday Collin!!

38 Week Doctor Appointment

2010-01-20T16:34:00.000-08:00

So we made it to my doctor appointment this week... I was hoping that we wouldn't be coming due to the fact that a baby had arrived but that didn't seem to happen.... soooo doctor stuff....

I weighed in at 155 lbs and my uterus is 38 cm (I am feeling quite large and I just keep getting bigger!!) My total weight gain is 28 lbs. Still not bad but thats a good amount of weight for a little person to put on their body, and mine feels it. My poor skin has stretched WAY past its ability and now looks like a pair of stockings worn by a 3 year old... full of runs. And we all know that once a tiny run gets into your stockings, it just keeps tearing....

Doctor Lanter checked my current progress and she said I feel the same way I did in the hospital over a week ago ( 1cm dilated and about 80% effaced)

On the bright side she did estimate that I would go into labor this weekend, so we will see!!!

Baby's heartbeat sounds fantastic and he bops around all day long!

I FINALLY got all of my leave paperwork into her this week so everything is in motion!!

I'm very glad everything check out healthy and normal this week. Hopefully this will be my last appointment!! Well... until baby #2...

37 Weeks!

2010-01-20T16:21:00.001-08:00

This week has been so physically and mentally hard.

With the onset of early labor on Tuesday ( as described below) the rest of my week has been an achy crampy mess. I spent much of the day after I had been sent home from the hospital crying and trying to get back there. I spent a good amount of time walking up and down the stairs and Sterling and I had some experiments of our own, nothing worked.

Every day was spent dealing with the cramps and aches and every night consisted of contractions and a far too happy baby! He likes to spend MY nights sleeping as HIS play time, and although it is painful and keeping me from sleep, I love every second of it.

This week has taught me a lesson if nothing else (AKA real labor setting in...) He will come. Sooner or later (sooner rather than later) he will be here, enjoy these last few days with Sterling and your bed.

I still love to watch him move and laugh as he runs a fist across my belly. It really doesn't get much more amazing than being able to carry a baby and feel him grow inside you and then, when he gets bigger, watch him grow inside you! It is, and I have said this before, such a beautiful gift for women. We are truly blessed individuals to be Mothers.

We are awaiting my mini man's entrance into this world with very ready arms and video cameras!!

Tuesday, January 12th

2010-01-20T10:32:00.000-08:00

Shall we start at the onset of the contractions?.....

Tuesday January 12th, 4:00 pm

I awoke from taking a quick cat nap with some cramp like pains. Thinking nearly nothing of it I went to grab a quick snack. Contractions started while I was eating but still I thought nothing of it.. I had felt the pain before and we have already been to the hospital twice with non productive contractions, so I waited to see if anything would come of it.

5:00 pm

At 5pm you will find me sitting on the couch, in the throws of contractions about every 4 minutes apart. The pain had increased and Sterling was now by my side ( he had also been talking a nap when the pain and contractions started.)

I called my Mother and all signs pointed to labor (ahh! could it actually be here! Finally?!)

Heather came home and we all gathered in our bedroom where I lay on the bed timing out every contraction and its length. My contractions were anywhere from 2-5 minutes apart and a minute to a minute and a half long.

11:00 pm

My Mother is speeding down the 210 from her home in Lake Arrowhead to be by my side while I go to the hospital to give birth to my long awaited baby boy. When my Mother got to my house we went to the hospital ( not before I took a shower and had my Mother re-paint my toenails.. you have to be cute while you are sweating and pushing! Everyone is going to see your toes while they are in the air in stirrups!) (And upon me saying stirrups, what am I? A horse?? they can't think of a more dignified name for the things?)

2:00 am Wednesday, January 13th

We arrive at the hospital.

The story is the same every time. I give them a urine sample while I change into a gown. They hook me up to a fetal monitor to monitor the baby and my contractions, but this time the story took a different turn... I was a "fingertip" dilated! I know a fingertip is nothing compared to the 10cm I should be but at least I was dilated!! The nurse calls the on call doctor and he has me walk the halls for an hour to see if that will progress the labor, if it doesn't then its another set of Braxton Hicks contractions and I will be sent home.... So off I go...

3:45 am

I return to my bed after walking the halls for an hour. My contractions are just as strong and frequent and I couldn't be happier to be able to lay down. The nurse checks to see if I am dilated any further and I reach the 1cm mark! yay!!! She also tells me I am about 80% effaced. She leaves to call the doctor on call only to return with doctor orders to walk the halls for another hour!!!

4:20 am

Heather has gone home, Sterling is asleep in the back of my mom's escalade and I am walking the halls of the hospital in some of the worst pain of my life. My Mother is getting tired from walking along side me for the past two hours so she is sitting in the lobby as I do loops around the building... in my hospital gown...

4:45 am

My legs are about to give out from the pain of the contractions and weight from the baby pushing down. I was so excited to be able to return to my bed!!

The nurse returns to my room and hooks me back up to the monitor. She checks to see if i dilated anymore and nothing seemed to change, so she calls the on call once again to see if she should send me home or not.

" Good news!" She walks in saying , "you're staying!" Almost positive I was going to be sent home I can't even explain the amazing feeling I felt knowing that I would be having my baby that day and I was finally going to receive some medicine to help with the pain!!

The nurse leaves to gather the items to hook my IV up and bring me some pain medicine.

5:00 am

Sterling returns from his nap in the car to the news of me staying! "It is time" we both kept telling each other..

The nurse returns to my room and hooks me up to an IV and quickly pushes some medicine into my drip.

I don't know what she gave me... or how much she gave me, but I was completely floored from that drug. I could hardly speak. I could feel the pain of the contractions, but I didn't care. It wasn't my favorite feeling in the world to be that drugged, in fact I believe I had told Sterling that I couldn't stand the feeling of being that drugged. Even though I wasn't happy with the amount of pain medicine running through my body I decided to try and let the drug help me rest a bit. My Mother decided she would rest up too and headed to the car to take a quick nap.

7:00 am

Sterling had fallen asleep on the couch in the room while I was trying to sleep on the drug ( a fruitless endeavor since the drug made me so jumpy)

Dr. Lanter burst trough the door with two other nurses. She checks to see if I have progressed at all and I haven't.

She then tells me that my labor isn't progressing how she would like to see it so she will be sending me home until active labor really sets in.

7:10 am

Devastation.

When doctor Lanter left the room I couldn't stop the tears from rolling down my cheeks. We could have sworn this was it!! I had been admitted and everything and now they are sending me home?! I'm not going to have my baby today?!

My Mother had returned right after the doctor left the room to a sobbing Emily. "Whats wrong?!" She yelled when she saw my face soaking wet and red. I have heard her ask me what's wrong just like that so many times in my life time as I have entered into her room with a bad dream or came home from school after someone had been mean to me on the bus, but nothing ever stung like me telling my Mother that I was being sent home.

The nurse returned with my discharge papers and two Ambien for me to take so when I get home I can sleep.

Through my tears I signed the papers and took the medicine I was given.

She sat me in a wheel chair and escorted me to where Sterling was waiting with the car.

We drove away and about halfway home the Ambien kicked in and I don't remember much after that.

3:00pm

I awake from my mini drug coma feeling completely nauseous and crampy.

The day continued with nausea and cramping.

I never returned to the hospital that day and we are still waiting for our little guy to make his appearance. In the meantime, my uterus punishes me by continuing to ache and contract.

Hopefully we will be back very very soon!!!

37 Week Doctor Appointment

2010-01-20T10:29:00.000-08:00

This week I weighed in at 153 lbs ( again) and my Uterus is at 37cm.

Everything was very routine and normal.

The doctor always tells me how happy my baby is due to his heart beat but I can never get it recorded because she always talks too much while she is listening!! drives me crazy!

Baby TV

2010-01-10T21:43:00.000-08:00

Attempting to capture his movements on camera proves to be difficult, but you can see some movement here! 37 Weeks and a crazy man! He moves like this most of the day and ALL of the night. Lucky me!! We love to sit and watch our baby TV!!

36 Weeks!

2010-01-10T20:31:00.003-08:00

The closest I get to holding my

baby ( for now!!!)

Lopsided Belly!

Since we were late taking our 34th week picture we ended up being behind and missed our 35th week :( But here we are at the end of my 36th week which means I am now FULL TERM!!!! My little guy could be born any day now and be a healthy, fat, little bundle of joy! We are now just patiently waiting. Everyone is so excited and very eager to get the call from us saying that I am in labor... everyone, that is, but me!! I am so nervous about the entire labor and delivery process that I don't even want to think about it! I know that I am going to receive an amazing gift at the end but while everyone gets to sit, watch and wait I get to be poked with needles while a baby is being forced from my body! I know I will be just fine but I fear for the unknown!

This week I have had a good amount of contractions and cramps, in fact, I will be asking my doctor tomorrow if it is OK that I have been cramping as much as I have been the past two days. We have spent a lot of time this week getting ready for the big day that I have had a very hard time keeping my energy up!

My little guy's things are all ready to receive him! We have everything set up, organized, and ready to go!! It is so crazy that in no more than 4 weeks we will have a baby boy in our arms!! What a trip!!

36 Week Doctor Appointment

2010-01-10T20:24:00.000-08:00

We have now started weekly doctor appointments!! Ahhhh!! Home Stretch!

I weighed in at 153 pounds, 2 pounds more than the last doctor appointment bringing my total to 26 pounds!

My Uterus is at 36 cm.. right where it should be. How predictable of it...

This week I was tested for the group B strep bacteria. If I had it my doctor would have to treat me with antibiotics to avoid contact to my little guy when he is born. We will know the results of that test at the next doctor appointment.

My doctor checked to see if I was dilated at all and I am completely closed for the time being and I am medium effaced.

The Little guy's heart sounds perfect as always!!

Over all a very good doctor appointment!

34 1/2 weeks!

2010-01-01T16:41:00.000-08:00

We were a little late taking a picture this week so this is basically me in my 35th week.

This week I have been feeling very very pregnant! All the extra weight is finally getting to me and I feel like I have been hit with a metal pole between my legs! Two nights in a row this week the Little Guy was so active, and his kicks were so strong that I actually cried he was hurting me so badly! I'm thinking he is getting a little too big for his warm little home...

We had another hospital trip this week. I was leaking fluid so I called my doctor and she suggested me go to the hospital. I started having cramps about an hour before we got to the hospital and contractions started when we got there. They became very frequent and intense after a while so I got to receive another nasty shot to stop them. After the contractions subsided I was able to go home with everything checking out normal ( no amniotic fluid was leaking.)

This week I sadly, after many attempts to prevent them, developed some stretch marks on the belly. Why now?! I guess the little guy has been growing so rapidly that my skin is just past it's point of stretching. It was very upsetting to me to discover them but I know they will fade in time and it just comes with the territory, like many things in pregnancy.

I am very ready to see this little guy and show him his bran new world!

34 Week Doctor Appointment

2009-12-21T16:13:00.000-08:00

This is when things get down to the wire!

I weighed in at 151 pounds this week. That is 2 pounds more than last week but I am still doing great on the weight gain!

My uterus is at 34cm and has now caught up with my week! Usually it is a cm ahead of the week but it seems it has slowed this week.

We are far enough along that my doctor has given me a list of the OB/GYNs in her practice to call in case anything happens (that anything being labor!) It is all so close now I can taste it!! I'm going through so many emotions!! I can't believe that we will have a baby next month!!

33 Weeks!

2009-12-21T15:57:00.000-08:00

Slowly but surely getting closer!!

This week I have developed such an amazing gratitude for the blessings I have been given. This baby has changed so much already and I am overwhelmed with love and gratitude for having such an amazing family (on both sides!) Words can't describe how incredible this journey has been for me, even more so because I believed that my feet would never tread down such a beautiful path. Women are given such a wonderful gift to bring children into this world. To feel the baby inside me is an incredible feeling. How loved are women to get the gift of carrying such pure beings. I can't wait to see my baby boy but I am truly going to miss this special part of my life ( until next time.)

I love being pregnant.

32 Weeks!!

2009-12-14T11:00:00.000-08:00

Only 8 weeks to go... holy smokes!!

The weeks are going very very slow now. I feel like all this waiting is making the weeks feel like months! I'm not working anymore so I have lots and lots of time to myself which is AMAZING but a lot of those alone time thoughts dwell on the coming of my little guy and I am getting so anxious!! I know Sterling is caught in the anticipation as well, we just can hardly wait to meet our little guy!!

This week I was very productive in the sense of getting things ready for my little guy. I did his first load of laundry and have started to sort all of his clothes and get them into drawers. We have made some of the final purchases to be ready for him ( his car seat, some curtains for his room, Diapers....) I have been in full blown "get ready for baby" mode!

We still haven't signed up for birthing classes and I fear we are rapidly running out of time! The classes are usually 6 weeks long and this little man has already tried to come early once! So we will see if that happens! On the bright side, we are already pre-registered at the hospital due to the fact that I was already in the hospital once this pregnancy. So when labor really wants to come we can just hop right into a hospital bed without having to sign any paper work!!

I am happy to say that I am only 8 weeks away!

32 Week Doctor Appointment

2009-12-08T21:04:00.001-08:00

Only one more bi-weekly doctor appointment and we are Full Term and there once a week!

All went well at this doctor appointment and it was very very quick.

Heart beat sounded great and sounds stronger and louder every time we hear it!

I weigh in at 149 making that 1 pound in two weeks. This makes my total weight gain at 22 pounds.

Not much to report on this weeks doctor appointment except that we are both healthy and moving forward!!

31 Weeks!

2009-12-08T20:45:00.001-08:00

We are getting closer!!

I can't believe how quickly this has all gone now looking back on it. My beautiful little guy is growing away in there and he has been moving a lot! Just what we wanna see! My doctor always asks if he has been moving and I have to hold myself back from giving her a face boldly stating my thought, "are you kidding me?!" Heather, Sterling and I could sit and watch him use me as a human punching ( and kicking!) bag all day! It still amazes our eyes to see that little guy do the things he does!

With that being said, sleeping is a whole other issue entirely. Little Guy is up all night making my sleep very bumpy. It seems as though he will fall asleep only to be woken up by me getting up to use the restroom ( something I do at least 4 times every night) and once awoken, he is awake for hours. Benadryl seems to help for most of the night but tends to wear off in the wee hours of the morning. I have yet to find a solution to my weary sleeping woes.

Most of my clothes are non maternity and I am still fitting into most of them quite comfortably, all except my jackets and warm articles and it is starting to get very cold here! I knew that most of my pregnancy would be through the winter so I tried shopping for warm clothes early on. I wasn't able to accurately judge my future size so now I am finding all of my cute new jackets unable to zip or button. Now... to take them back and get a bigger size and be warm for the rest of my pregnancy? Or keep them fairly small and be able to wear them next year??

This week went well and all has been very good. I am starting to get more and more things organized and ready in the house and his room. Nesting instinct activate!!!

30 Weeks!!

2009-12-01T09:23:00.000-08:00

This was a very rough week for me, I will go out and say that it has been the hardest week of my entire pregnancy.

It started out well, my doctor appointment went very well and all was looking up!

Wednesday I went into premature labor as described earlier and I experienced fear like I have never known it before. There is nothing like keeping your baby as healthy as possible in the womb and then be faced with his actual life starting out unhealthy and feeling completely helpless in the situation.

The rest of the week had its shaky moments containing many more contractions requiring lots of rest. I feel like I slept most of this week away!

On Saturday night I developed the worst stomach flu I have ever had. Being nearly 8 months pregnant and violently throwing up is probably the worst combination I have ever experienced.

Sunday night my heartburn was so bad that it radiated up to my ears and I couldn't sleep most of the night! I left my tums at home like a dummy and we were snowed in with no way of getting to a drug store!

Though this week was rough and scary I have so much to be thankful for through it. My baby is still safe and sound and growing more and more each day inside the belly and he still moves like a crazy man! My flu is over and I have a new found out look on life "hey.. it could be worse.. you could be violently throwing up every 30 minutes!" I'm home safe and sound with the warm, loving embrace of my Tums and I know better than to ever leave them behind again!! They have since forgiven me for forgetting them.

Thanksgiving with the Family

2009-12-01T08:45:00.000-08:00

This year we were all so lucky to have so much family around us for Thanksgiving! We haven't had Thanksgiving with our Phillips side of the family since my Grandmother passed away almost 13 years ago (wow..has it really been that long?). My Uncle Evan and Aunt Cindy came out from Utah with cousins Tyler, Noelle, Gavin and Dyllan and My Uncle Bryan came up from Thousand Oaks! We all met at my mother's in Lake Arrowhead and it was a beautiful Thanksgiving! Two days after Thanksgiving it dumped snow on us so the kids had all kinds of fun building jumps in the back yard for their sleds! Hooper had the most fun of all, being a puppy he has never seen the snow before and we couldn't get him to stop eating all of it!!

The Boys watching the football game Thanksgiving Day

The snow we woke up to Saturday morning!!

(After a night full of thunder and lightning!)

Hooper spent litterally from the morning

until it was dark in the snow. He loved it!

He ate so much snow all day that he burped

all night long!

Dyllan catching air on a homemade jump!

Bryce all geared up and ready to go!

Rides it like a Champ!!

Gavin out in the snow

Behold! The perfect snowball!

A Hospital Visit 10 Weeks Too Soon...

2009-11-25T10:08:00.000-08:00

Last night we experienced a bit of a scare.

It started about 6:00pm. The little guy felt as though he was pushing down on my pelvis as if 5 more pounds was added to my lower abdomen.

I continued on with my night thinking nothing of it and proceeded to make dinner.

While at dinner I felt a leaking of fluid, so much fluid in fact that it soaked my pants ( sorry for the graffic details)

I quickly alerted Sterling and went to change my pants and lie down.

While changing and getting ready to lie down my back started aching and I developed cramps in my lower abdomen.

Contractions followed and were spaced anywhere from 4-1o minutes apart.

I convinced Heather and Sterling to wait it out an hour after lying down and drinking a few glasses of liquid but nothing seemed to improve and next thing I knew we were heading to the hospital.

Upon arrival I was quickly thrown into a bed and strapped to a fetal monitor.

Several tests by the nurse deduced that I was not dialated and my water had NOT broken although I did leak more fluid while lying in the hospital bed. (Phew!!)

My contractions, however, were not slowing down or getting any less intense.

The nurse called Dr. Lanter and she suggested I drink a pitcher of water to see if it would help the contractions before she would administer any medicine to stop them.

All the water did was make me have to pee really really badly!

The nurse was back in not too long after I had finished the water to administer an injection to stop the ever growing contractions.

Within 5 minutes my contractions had ended with a jittery side effect from the drug (eww) but they were over none the less.

About an hour after the drug was administered I was released from the hospital with the shakes and a scare but happy that we were able to leave and nothing was too terribly serious!

Everything is fine today and I was instructed to take everything very easy. Sterling doesn't think I should be working anymore this pregnancy and it is probably a good idea. The Little Guy and I are home safe and sound and we are all looking forward to coming back when we are really ready and the Little Guy has had more time to cook!

30 Week Doctor Appointment

2009-11-23T16:25:00.000-08:00

Today was my Second Bi-Weekly doctor appointment and all was well!

I weighed in at 148 pounds and Dr. Lanter gave me the A-OK to enjoy myself at Thanksgiving because I am gaining the perfect amount of weight! Woo Hoo!! Lets hope I don't blow it for Christmas dinner! My total current weight gain is 21 pounds!

My uterus is at 31 cm ( this makes me gaining an cm a week.) We are steadily keeping up with our "cm ahead of schedule" routine when it comes down to my uterus height. As long as I am in the range I am very happy!

His little heart beat sounds very steady and strong and everything looks very healthy!

I realized today that I only see Dr. Lanter two more times before I see her weekly! This Holiday season will be a perfect way to enjoy family and friends and keep my mind off the waiting, although I don't know how much help I will need.. the time is flying right on by!!!

Everything looks good and I have a very healthy happy baby and pregnancy! What more could I ask for?

Baby Shower # 2!!

2009-11-23T16:22:00.000-08:00

We were so very blessed to have Julie and Heather throw us an amazing Baby Shower this past week! Everything was so beautiful and the house was filled with so much love and support! They did an incredible job and everything came out so perfectly! We are very lucky to have such wonderful people in our lives!

The Sheppard side of my family.

I was so happy to have my family surrounding me

to celebrate such a wonderful event!

Many of them I haven't seen in over 4 years!

Soon to be Great-Grandma Marilyn and "Auntie" Felice.

We were very blessed and received so many wonderful

things for our little guy!

Along with our many wonderful items was a crib!

We were very spoiled!

The room was filled with many beautiful supportive women!

Cupcakes from Suzie Cakes! Yum Yum!!

Thank you so much Julie and Heather for such a wonderful day!!!

29 Weeks!

2009-11-23T16:21:00.000-08:00

29 weeks and hello heartburn!! I have been getting heartburn every night this past week and although I have been experiencing it more often than usual these past few weeks it has really hit me this week! Thank heavens for TUMS!!

The belly keeps getting bigger and bigger and my poor little bum looks so funny next to it!! The medical assistant at my doctor's office laughed at me because I have been gaining all this weight but only in the tummy! I think that the belly is starting to suck away any bum I once had!

My baby boy hiccups at least 3 times a day and it makes him so angry when he gets them and he takes his frustrations out on me! I end up getting punished for my little guy's hiccups. Poor little guy.. no one likes having the hiccups!

My appetite has leveled off and I am no longer so ravenously hungry. I am able to eat the amount of food I used to be able to eat and come out satisfied. That doesnt change the fact that I am still in need of food every two or so hours.

I experience Braxton-Hicks contractions now very very often. They make it hard to breathe and I don't even want to think about what they are going to feel like with pain added to them!

Im loving the pregnant life and I can't believe that it will be over in 10 short weeks!

28 Weeks!

2009-11-23T16:12:00.000-08:00

Week 28...

I seem to have started a trend recently and I feel like nothing new is happening from week to week. I am still in need of a daily nap and Little Guy moves like a maniac. I love being pregnant and I love having my new best friend go everywhere with me in a convenient little package ( mind you that convenient little package is getting harder and harder to carry around though...)

It is amazing to look back on the early weeks and see how much we have both grown together.

28 Week Doctor Appointment

2009-11-09T11:12:00.000-08:00

This doctor appointment was my last monthly doctor appointment for this pregnancy! From here until 36 weeks I will be in her office every two weeks!

We had a very good doctor appointment today!

She felt around for his position and he is head down! Earlier this week during our ultrasound we discovered that he was laying sideways across the middle of my belly but he is currently head down! Yesterday I had told Sterling that the baby felt like he was turning because he wasn't just kicking he was really moving! Looks like momma's intuition I guess! The doctor says that it is rare for him to move now that he is face down but it does happen.. so stay put Little Guy!

My uterus measures 29 cm and my current weight is 146 lbs making my weight gain for this month 4 lbs and my total weight gain at 19 lbs. Not bad!!

My glucose tolerance results came back and everything is normal! No gestational diabetes and no anemia!!

Little Guy's heart beat is perfect (as usual!)

I recieved my H1N1 vaccine today...I still don't really know what to think about it but it's too late now! Better safe than sorry I guess!

Another perfect check up!

27 Weeks!

2009-11-08T16:16:00.000-08:00

The belly looks so lopsided in these photos because he has been flip-flopping around all day!!

Fatigue is taking over!! This week I have been soo so tired! Naps have been a 100% necessity! Today I had to be back in bed napping only 4 hours after I woke up for the day!

I had a few little bouts of heartburn this week also. The heartburn is very mild and curable with Tums but it always shocks me to get it because I have never had heartburn in my life until I was pregnant.

I find myself so hungry but all I want is fruit! I spent a cart full of fruit at Costco this week and it has been basically all I have been eating! It is funny to me that I crave so much fruit because when I was sick in bed with the Endometriosis I had no appetite outside of fruit.

I feel bigger and bigger every day (thats kind of a given) and my little guy never sleeps. I know I say that all the time but he is like the Energizer Bunny..

We have a doctor appointment tomorrow and hopefully all is well!

BABY SHOWER!

2009-11-08T16:03:00.000-08:00

Saturday I was blessed enough to experience an incredible Baby Shower that my friend Renae threw for me! The entire house was filled with amazing people who made me feel so loved and special! It is so amazing to have such close friends come together to celebrate our Little Guy with me! Renae did an amazing job and everything was perfect! We played a game where everyone cut themselves the amount of ribbon that they thought would fit my belly and everyone went a little bigger than I was except for my mother!! She cut her ribbon EXACTLY the size of my belly! It was the craziest thing! We all had a good time and I consider myself so lucky to have the friends I have! Thank you to all who came! It was more than I could have asked for!!

Beautiful Boy

2009-11-03T20:04:00.000-08:00

Today we had a 3D scan done of the boy!

I can't believe how clear his facial expressions were! What an amazing event this was! I felt like I was seeing through a wall and I was able to see what my little guy will look like way before he will be born! It was so amazing!

He is facing sideways because he is in the middle of turning face down. No wonder the belly looks so lopsided!

The lady also told us that he isn't a very big Little Guy and she guessed his birth weight to be 7lb 6oz if he comes on time.......It will be fun to see if she is right!! She also said that he is 100% boy! She told us that if a girl comes out than someone slipped us the wrong baby!

I can't stop looking at these pictures! I'm falling more and more in love with this Little Guy every minute. Sterling and I are so amazingly blessed and we just want to share these pictures with everyone! So enjoy!!

Look at that smile! He isn't even born yet

and look at that little face!!

It is so unbelievable!

My baby

A little squished

Baby feet!!

Scrunchy stinky face!

This one is my favorite.

His arms are above his head and his face is so funny!!

Sleepy baby

( he did end up falling asleep right after this in the middle of the scan!)

He grimaced like this so many times!

He had so many smirks and stinky faces!

Look at the detail! Can't wait to see him in my arms!

26 Weeks!

2009-11-03T19:27:00.000-08:00

Exactly 3 months to go!

I can't believe how quickly everything has gone but I have had such a hard time this last week because I have been so antsy! I want to hold my baby so badly! I know he still has a while to cook in there but I want him now!!

I had a Pregnancy massage this week and it was soooo amazing! It helped my back tremendously and what an amazing way to relax! I would highly recommend one to the pregnant woman.

I had my Glucose Tolerance test this week and it was every bit as horrible as I thought it would be! She drew blood twice out of the exact same spot and left a HUGE nasty bruise. I had to finish that drink in 5 minutes and although not very big it was though to do and I felt like I was gonna loose it for about half an hour after. I remember leaving the clinic dreading ever doing that again!

Besides the glucose test this week was a very good week and the baby just keeps getting bigger and the bum just keeps looking smaller and smaller!

25 Weeks!

2009-10-25T19:04:00.000-07:00

And we finish week 25!! This week has had its ups and downs!! I started experiencing Braxton-Hicks contractions this week! Tight and uncomfortable! I have read a lot about them and I knew exactly what it was the first time I felt it. Sleeping is near impossible but I am usually able to get a good nap in during the day. I have discovered how relaxing a hot shower can be and I usually take one right before I go to bed to relax my back, body, and mind. I have also learned how helpful stretching can be! It has helped my back a great deal and it just loosens my whole body. I went to the Chiropractor 2x this week and that was very helpful as well. The combination of theses things have greatly helped my back and my ability to relax recently. It has been very relieving and I have enjoyed this week. I have noticed more than ever how important it is for me to be eating every few hours. I will get sick very quickly if I'm not eating basically all the time. Not a problem for me!!

Little Guy bounces around like popcorn as always but he has started to move more fluidly and at times I will just feel a foot or elbow smoothly run across my abdomen. His movements always make me laugh and Sterling and I love watching my belly as he bops around.

I can't believe how big I am and I still have a few more months! We are ready for everything to get much bigger! We love our little baby in my big belly!!

Cardio Testing.

2009-10-21T20:28:00.000-07:00

Today I went in to do some testing for my heart.

They did an Ecocardiogram to check for anything abnormal in the structure of my heart and they set my monitor up. I keep it on until tomorrow afternoon and Friday I go to get my blood work done! I wont know any of the results for another few weeks when I see the Cardiologist for my follow up so we will still know nothing until then!

It has already been such an effort for me to stay asleep these past few weeks and now this monitor will make things a wee bit tough! Hopefully they will see nothing wrong and all will be fine and I can go back to my happy normal pregnancy!!!

24 Weeks!!

2009-10-17T23:33:00.001-07:00

This week we attended an amazing Halloween party and it just happened to be on the same day as my picture day! So here we are at 24 weeks! People who didn't know me thought my belly was fake!! I was a basketball player and my belly was my basketball!! ( thanks baby Hudsis for the track jersey we stole from your room!!... what?? you aren't using it! You are in Princeton!)

This week marked very challenging for me. I have found myself very very tired all the time and my body insists on a regular nap schedule. I had two more episodes with my heart ( cardiologist appointment on Wednesday so stay tuned!) and a random morning of throwing up... Poor Sterling has had to give me a back massage every night because my back kills by the end of the day due to all of the strain put on it during the day. Interesting week but I live and despite the pregnancy challenges I couldn't be happier. We are getting bigger and bigger and as long as little guy is healthy I have no reason to stop smiling. I can't believe that I am almost in my third trimester! I feel like it all hardly began! We are one week closer to meeting our little guy!!

Something that goes BUMP in the night...

2009-10-17T11:15:00.000-07:00

My Little Guy is a monster!

don't believe me??

I have heard peoples stories about feeling their baby move and no one says anything about their baby throwing a tantrum in the womb!

I finally developed a comfortable way of sleeping last night ( one that involved many many pillows) and I was so relieved to be able to get a good night sleep after a few weeks of sleepless nights....Little Guy didn't like the idea and not only did he spend the entire night up and moving, he was thrashing! He is so crazy in there that we have lovingly nick-named him Monster, or Little Stink. I love being able to feel him move and I know it means he is healthy but this little guy is so so strong and I am surprised at how powerful his punches are! Better watch out for this guy when he comes out! He is going to make his presence known!

24 Week Doctor Appointment!

2009-10-12T10:56:00.000-07:00

Once again here we are talking about my Doctor appointment. I feel like it was just last week that I had my last one!! Where is this time going?! At this pace before I know it Little Guy will be in my arms!

So lets talk Doctor!...

This appointment was very quick and generally quiet. I had no questions and no complaints.

I weighed in at 142 lbs!!!! Maybe I should have held my tongue last month when I said I deserved a reward for weighing slightly under the mark! This past month I have gained 8 lbs!! In the past months I had been gaining 2!! This makes my total weight gain of 15 lbs.... Guess I better watch my sweets intake!! My doctor told me I am still in range but that is a hefty number of pounds to gain in a month!

Little Guy's heart sounds perfect as always and the doctor believes that he is already head down!! Now lets hope he stays that way!!

Dr. Lanter measured my uterus today and I am 26 inches! Making me 2 inches bigger than a normal 24 week pregnancy...Usually your uterus size coincides with your week! I guess we might be looking at a big Little Guy!!

This week I received the paper work to get my dreaded glucose tolerance test done. YUK! In about two weeks I go in after fasting and get my blood drawn to only drink nasty orange fluid and get my blood drawn again an hour later...it's for the best but it wont be any fun!! I have gotten much better with needles since I have been pregnant but I still would rather them stay away from me!

All in all this was a very good doctor appointment and all is very healthy!!

23 Weeks!

2009-10-12T10:42:00.000-07:00

And we hit the 23 week mark! Sadly, once again we didn't get a 22 week picture. Everything just seems so busy and by the time we remember to take a picture for the week it is too late and I am too far into my 23rd week to get an accurate picture...

This week was great! The belly gets bigger and bigger but I still fit into my non-preggo shirts!! Everything feels great and Little Guy never sleeps ( what else is new right?) His movements get stronger and stronger and there are times where I think he is trying to break free!! He is a crazy little guy and I believe he already has a stubborness about him ( takes after his momma...) because every time Grandma Heather tries to feel him move he stops! As if to refuse to be felt, and I happen to know that he never stops! I guess when he is crying and fussy we know who to send him on over to!

I tend to forget how pregnant I look until I see myself! Also, for the most part I don't feel pregnant. I don't have any complaints! This baby is a joy to always have with me and I love taking my little friend around!! I am jealous of Sterling because he gets to kiss the belly and I wont be able to even come close to kissing my baby until he is born! I can hardly wait!

I love this stage of my life and I love the family I have ( that includes Sheppard and Andrews) I can't express how supportive and loving everyone has been and this has been such an awesome experience!

Cardiac business....

2009-09-30T11:18:00.000-07:00

On Saturday, while at work I experienced a rapid heart beat, so fast that I could hardly count my pulse. I called my OB and she told me that I had two options.

1. Go to the hospital, head straight upstairs to Labor and Delivery and have them check me out. the only set back at the hospital it that this was a Saturday and there wouldn't be a cardiologist on during the weekend... with that said...

2. Wait until Monday to have an outpatient procedure done at a cardiologist office ( this was the preferred route because she wanted me to see a cardiologist ( I guess my doctor has no faith in nurses)

So I waited until Monday with the warning that if it were to happen again to head straight to the ER...

Monday came and I received a call from my doctors office referring me to a Cardiologist. This morning I had my appointment with him ( awesome guy, if you are in Ventura County and are in need of a cardiologist, heaven forbid, I highly recommend him)

He said everything looked good but he wanted to do some tests to confirm that nothing was wrong.

I need a series of blood work done, a ultrasound of my heart to make sure there aren't any abnormalities, and for 24 hours I am required to wear a monitor that keeps track of everything my heart does in 24 hours. Lets hope all is well and they don't find anything wrong. My mother has a heart murmur so there is a tiny history of some weird heart stuff....

The doctor also told me that if anything were to seriously be wrong that there isn't really much they can do because I am pregnant.... let's all pray that I am OK!!!

21 weeks!

2009-09-28T09:19:00.001-07:00

Here we are at 21 weeks! Everything is starting to get much bigger and I am slowly but surely loosing more and more sleep considering I am a tummy sleeper! I wake up with back aches also so at this point no part of sleeping is good!! I love my baby bump, I used to have dreams of being pregnant and I would always wake up so sad that I wasn't actually pregnant. I did have a pregnant dream about a week before I found out that I was pregnant so I guess that one was a sign!!

Little Guy ( the name I have temporarily bestowed on my future son) is always moving! I know I have said it before but now his kicks are so powerful that they actually startle me sometimes! He gets the hiccups at least once a day and I can feel how long he is at times when his hand and his foot will kick me at the same time, one kick I feel way down by my pelvic bone and one way above my belly button! If he were born right now he would have a 70% chance of living. Everything on him is basically developed except for his tiny lungs, for some reason those are one of the last things to fully develop. For how big I am it is hard for me to believe he is only a pound! Everything still has much more growing to do!! We are in love with our little guy and we can't wait to have him as part of our family. Sterling, Emily and Little Guy.

20 Weeks!

2009-09-24T18:21:00.000-07:00

Halfway there!! 20 down.. 20 to go...

This is an absolutely horrible picture of me but it isnt about me! It's about little guy and the belly! This week I have been so so tired... but it probably has to do with the fact that I am working mega hours at work, which is great but it takes its toll! Nothing significant happened this week.. The belly grows bigger and bigger every day and the ever looming fear of delivery gets stronger and stronger! I know that in the end it will all be worth it but it is scary to think about!! Little guy moves all over the place and a few lucky friends have been able to feel him! It is so awesome feeling him in there all the time knowing he is always with me and he is healthy! We are so amazingly blessed!

19 Weeks!

2009-09-14T21:10:00.000-07:00

Unfortunately, we missed 18 weeks and I am posting my 19 week picture after my 20 week doctor appointment. With that being said I am , as of today 20 weeks. This picture is my last day of 19 weeks. Sorry if there is any confusion there!!

This week little guy started hiccuping!! He NEVER stops moving!! He is always kicking up a storm in there and he is definitely unbiased as to what time of day he does it... ( he never seems like he wants to sleep when I want to... looks like he is starting the trend early...)

I am ALWAYS hungry. My appetite is never ever satisfied it seems. I never eat badly though and I tend to eat the same amount of food I have always eaten and it has proven me well in my weigh-ins. So despite my never ending hunger, I try not to give in to my body's every growing need for instant satisfaction.

20 Week doctor appointment

2009-09-14T14:28:00.000-07:00

Today I roll into my 5th month, and with a new month comes a doctor appointment.

I was very eager to see the doctor this month.

A: Because I had some blood work done at my last appointment and I was interested in results

B: I had an Ultrasound preformed and I was also interested in what she had to say.

C: I had a TON of questions for her.

This appointment was very productive.

My blood work came back all negative ( negative is good.. it means that the baby has no signs of abnormalities)

The Ultrasound looked great and my little guys heartbeat sounds perfect! ( once again)

I received a flu shot this week because my doctor highly recommended one. I have never received a flu shot before in my life so I was a tiny bit hesitant, but, the more I can avoid getting sick at this crucial time the better! The doctor also told me that the minute they get the H1N1 vaccine (loved by most as Swine Flu) in I would be getting a phone call because I am on the top priority list since I am pregnant.

I had several concerning questions (in my view at least) to ask her. All of her answers came back to me as "these things are normal because......" So those answers were very relieving to hear.

As for weight gain.. I have gained 3 pounds since last month marking my total weight gain at 7lbs! Every book I have read says that by this time I should be in between 10-15 lbs.... I guess that makes me a tiny bit under but I still feel like I deserve some kind of reward for that! I currently weigh in at 134 lbs!

I love going to the doctor... although every time I go I can't seem to walk out of the place without having a needle shoved into me.. None the less I love hearing about my tiny boy and it is so relieving to walk out with a clean bill of health, both for me and the little guy!

This pregnancy thing is cake.... but ask me again when labor sets in!!!

"We're Having A Baby" Party!

2009-09-13T20:55:00.000-07:00

Last night we invited friends and family over to celebrate in the excitement of our little hybrid! We had such an amazing time and it was so nice to be around people who love and support us! I'm so grateful to the people who were able to attend and I'm also sad that some had to miss it because we missed them there! Being surrounded by amazing people, great food, and tons of love made this whole experience that much more fabulous!

My Mother drove all the way from Lake Arrowhead just for our party!

And like the true mother she is, she came baring

many gifts for the little guy. He has no idea how spoiled he is already!

5 months! holy cow! Only 4 to go!

My only sister Lillie is 7 years younger than me and had to

crouch to be even with me in the picture!

We think it is so funny that you can't pick a feature on us that is alike

but you can tell we are sisters!

We couldn't get the boys to take a serious picture if we tried!

but we tried!!

My 3 year younger brother Jake is furthest to the left,

then we have Chris, Mikey, Isaac.

Sterling, me, one of my dearest friends, Renae (she is throwing my baby shower in Novemeber!) and my sister Lillie.

Sterling, his mother Heather, his father Richard,

My mother's olderst brother Brian and his father in Law Roger!

It was so amazing to get the joy of seeing Brian and Roger there.

They live in Thousand Oaks, and while only a freeway's drive away,

I don't see them as much as I would like.

Stuffed Mushrooms!

Basically a cookie lovers dream with the exeption of

Fruit salsa with cinnamon sugar chips, artichoke salsa

and pepperonccinis stuffed with bleu cheese!!!

Make your own Pizza bar!!!

( we called and ordered 30 6 inch Pizzas with no

toppings from Toppers! What a bunch of troopers!!)

The party was such a success and what great people we had to bring it all together! Thank you to all who came!!

Time to Shop!!!

2009-09-08T14:37:00.000-07:00

Now that we know what our little guy is we can shop for him!!!

As a parent to be one of the most exiting/amazing/mind blowing experiences of my life was to know the sex of my first child that beat all the odds and existed against what every doctor said. BUT.... how can I celebrate the experience without rewarding the little guy for being so amazing and making it all that way though a horrible illness I had in my body! I think every mother to be patiently and anxiously awaits this day. Look out little guy! Mamma and Nanna went shopping!

You Got A Boy!

2009-09-01T12:59:00.000-07:00

The tech thought he was a she for a minute before she quickly realized He was a He!

It's A Boy!!!

2009-09-01T12:26:00.001-07:00

The day has come! Here is our little guy! He is 4 and a half months along and everything looks perfect! I can't believe my eyes still!! To see my little one as a tiny person is so crazy because the last time we saw him he was just a peanut!! He is still breech and he isn't supposed to be this far along, but I have faith that he will turn around. It makes sense though because I can feel him kicking me in my lower abdomen which means his head is up above my belly button. I absolutely love feeling him kick me with those little feet and I love how active he is. I Knew it was a boy the very second I found out about him and I am so happy to have a healthy little guy! Now... Let's go overall shopping!!!

Here is his profile. He was being very good and still for the tech as she measured him up and down.

Here is his tiny arm. His elbow being on the right hand side.

tiny little hand and his tiny little fingers that I can't wait to touch!

Baby Feet! His toes are right underneath the "F" and his heel is on the right hand side.
His bum starts at the left hand side and his leg is bent. Bum, knee, foot!!

17 Weeks!

2009-08-30T10:02:00.001-07:00

This week I have definitely noticed a big change! I feel like my belly grows every day! This week it seemed to get wider. What a crazy journey this is!! We are feeling the baby move a lot and Sterling has been able to feel a few kicks but the baby still doesn't kick quite hard enough to really feel much on his part.. soon, love I promise! This week we started frontal pictures because you can actually tell I'm pregnant from the front!! It's only going to get bigger from here on out!!

We have an Ultrasound on Tuesday to do a routine screening for abnormalities and heart defects. That's always scary for parents to be to go and search for, but, at the same time we get to see our baby for the first time in 10 weeks and hopefully get to see what the baby is!! We have been prolonging any baby item shopping until we know the sex so we have very patiently been waiting for this day to come!!

We are loving every day of this 9 month journey and can't wait to meet our little hybrid.

16 weeks! (plus a few days into 17 weeks)

2009-08-26T09:17:00.000-07:00

This is the belly at 16 weeks... we were a little late taking the picture this week but at least we got one before I was almost at the end of my 17th week!

I can feel the baby kick now! I felt it for the very first time on Wednesday of this past week. At first I couldn't tell if it was actually the baby or if it was just my body doing it's thing... but later that night I felt it again and have felt the same thing every day since. That little guy moves a lot in there and I can always feel it if I hold still long enough. I can't wait until Sterling can feel our baby with me!

As for my body... it totally popped this week and everyone has said something about it... there isn't much hiding anymore! I took advantage of my tiny belly for as long as I could, and now, even though it is still small comparatively, I can't really hide it from anyone...

We have an ultrasound next Tuesday and we can't wait!! We haven't seen the peanut since it was a peanut so we are very exited!!

16 Week Doctor Visit

2009-08-17T21:25:00.000-07:00

Today was my 16 week visit to my Dr. and I was accompanied by not one, but two grandmas ( to be.) I felt so lucky to have the two Mommies in my life experiencing this important part of my life with me! It was such a joy to have them there, the two women who have been in my shoes before, one with me and the other with the man I hold so close to my heart. It couldn't of gotten any better than that. I feel like I am so full of love and happiness that I could literally burst. I am so lucky to have the family that I was born into and what an amazing family I so luckily fell into!

On with the doctor stuff.....

I have gained four pounds since last visit ( original weight being 127.. currently 131) that's a total of 4 pounds in 3 months.... The doctor said I am gaining the perfect amount of weight!! (phew!)

The Baby's heart beat sounds perfect also. The doctor had a hard time locating the baby's little beat because the stinker wouldn't stop moving around. 4 months and the baby is already dancing all over the place! ( I have a video of the doctor finding the baby's heart beat but it needs to be cropped so I can upload it on here.. so keep a look out in the future..)

The Doctor felt for my uterus this visit and she said it is almost under my belly button which is unusual for someone at 16 weeks ( normally it doesn't come that high until about 20 weeks)

So that was a wee bit interesting. She said my belly had a "different" shape to it... Not totally sure what she meant by that but I'm going to take it as a compliment. But I guess I will be carrying my baby high.

They did some blood work also this week to test for any abnormalities in the baby and to screen for birth defects and things like down syndrome.

I have an ultrasound in 2 weeks to do some more baby screening and to reveal the sex of the little one! We absolutely cannot wait for that one!

All in all this was a very successful doctor appointment and probably my favorite one as well!

15 weeks!!

2009-08-17T16:40:00.000-07:00

Here I am at the last day of my 15th week!

This is the very first week that I have noticed having a tummy. Also... A very big step for me... I went out today and bought my very first pair of maternity jeans!!! The buttons on my pants have been driving me absolutely crazy! They have been causing me so much discomfort! So what else could I do?? I knew the day would have to come sooner or later and I totally love them!

As far as being pregnant goes I feel great!!! I am loving this out of pain thing! Not to mention I love being pregnant and my family has been so supportive and amazing!

My 9 week Sonogram

2009-08-14T09:17:00.000-07:00

This is my 9 week scan ( almost 7 weeks ago.)

My doctor did an ultrasound on me to determine my due date. They told me then and there that I was 9 weeks along and due February 1st, 2010.

This is the first ( and currently the only) picture I have of my baby. At that time my bean just looked like a little bean... literally... now he ( or she) is fully developed in there and just gaining weight now...

I can't wait to see my baby again. For those who had the privilege of being at my ultrasound to witness this for the first time with me ( Sterling and my dear friend Renae) were just as equally amazed as I was.

whoa!

2009-08-11T15:33:00.000-07:00

I just spent a little time looking over my past posts and saw my picture at 11 weeks... I can't believe how much my baby ( and tummy) has grown since then!!

I take and post the weekly pictures at the end of the week so I can see exactly just how much I have grown that week so it is very shocking to look at my 15 week tummy and compare it to my nothing of an 11 week tummy!

I guess I don't notice how much my body is changing since I am with my self all the time. Although.... Sterling has started to notice a little bit of baby weight starting to settle on me. I have to remember that the amount of weight I am gaining is healthy and essential for me and my baby.

Also, I have to mention my recent appreciation for all the love and support Sterling and I get from our friends and family. Everyone has been very positive about this whole thing and it has made the experience so much smoother and exiting for me. Thank you everyone for being so wonderful!!

Count down until we know what our little bean is... 3 weeks and 5 days!!